Exploration
by Annastesia LaFayette
Summary: Archer and Tucker are trapped and as they wait for the cavalry to recuse them they make a few revolutions about each other and discover how deep their friendship really is. A/N: I wrote out the first 4 chapters some time ago. This story has taken on a life of its own. Each section is it's own story within a larger story. Please read, enjoy and review. Contains M/M Romance
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**_ I wrote this story a while ago and it's been sitting on the proverbial shelf collecting dust. I wasn't sure about posting it because I don't know how well it will be received. If there's more love than hate for it, I may consider revisiting the story and continuing the adventure. If you read this please review and let me know your thoughts and opinions if I should continue or leave it where it is. I gave it an M rating because if I should continue it may get less tame as time goes on,_

**Exploration**

**Chapter 1**

Enterprise had been dispatched to Ceti Alpha IV to gather scientific data. The planet had been undergoing extreme weather pattern changes, volcanic activity and seismic tremors. The Starfleet science academy was curious as to the effects of Ceti Alpha IV and its inhabited neighbor, Ceti Alpha V.

Archer, Tucker, Reed and Mayweather were in a large cave taking their scans when another tremor shook the cavern, causing small rocks and dust to fall from its ceiling. Trip looked around, very concerned by this. He had been uncomfortable since they beamed down and wasn't afraid to let his feelings be known.

"I don't like this, Cap'n. Why do we have to be the one's down here putting our butts on the line?"

"T'Pol assured us that it's safe, Trip." Captain Archer replied.

"Yeah? If it's so safe, why isn't she down here with us? While she's sitting comfortably on the ship, sipping her chamomile tea, we're dodging falling rocks!"

"You know she needs the ship's computer to analyze the data as it comes in. Besides, you've been in more deadly situations than this and never complained, are you suddenly afraid of danger?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of danger, Cap'n. It's just being buried under a pile of rocks isn't exactly how I envisioned my demise."

"Let me guess...a blaze of glory?"

Trip gave Jon a wide grin and said "Is there any other way?"

Another tremor and more rocks falling turned the mood back to a more serious tone. "Let's just hurry and finish up these scans so we can get the hell out of here." Jon said as he brushed some dust out of his hair.

Trip continued to take his scans, not paying attention to where he was walking when he suddenly found himself at the edge of a large, deep hole. As he tried to keep himself from falling in, Jon reached out, grabbing him by the jacket and pulled him back.

The two of them leaned over to look down the dark hole as the realization of the situation hit them. Trip gulped and said "That would've been a bad way to go too. Thanks Cap'n."

"No problem. Anytime Trip. Just watch where you're walking, ok? I would hate to have to break in a new chief engineer." As the two chuckled there was another tremor knocking them both into the hole, Trip on his back and Jon on top of him, face to face as they both slid down the muddy incline with large rocks chasing after them.

When they finally reached the bottom Jon let out a yell from the pain as the rocks tumbled onto his back and legs, pinning the two of them to the muddy, wet ground. Trip found it difficult to breath with the weight of the rocks and his captain on top of him.

He was a bit concerned about the water that was seeping in from somewhere and slowly rising, as he began to struggle to get free, he heard Jon crying out. "Ow! Ow! Trip! Stop!"

Trip stopped his struggles and looked at Jon with concern. "Is it your back? Did the rocks injure your back?"

"No. It's your hip."

Trip was confused by Jon's statement and cocked his head to the side. "Huh? My hip? What does my hip have to do with this?"

"Your hip is digging into a _very_ sensitive place. So just stop. Ok?"

It took Trip a few seconds to understand what Jon was saying and his eyes grew wide. "Oh! Oh, you mean...Yeah. Ok." Trip used the few centimeters of space he had and, as gently as he could, turned himself to alleviate the pressure his hip was placing on Jon's sensitive part of anatomy.

Jon let out a sigh of relief as he said "Thank you."

Trip looked over Jon's shoulder to assess the situation. He could see that there was a large pile of rocks and mud that completely covered his captain's lower back and legs. As he looked up into the mouth of the hole where they came down from, he could see more rocks covering the area. He looked around the area they were now laying in and realized it wasn't a very big space. Only a few inches between their bodies and the walls of the hole. Even if they did get free of the rocks, there wasn't any room to stand, but he did want to at least try to get out from under Jon and the rocks in order to sit up.

The water wasn't rising fast enough to be a real threat, but being the one on the bottom closest to the water level, it still worried him. "Want to give it another try?" Trip asked. They both struggled for a few moments before realizing that it was no use and gave up.

They could hear Malcolm's muffled voice calling from above. "Captain. Commander. Are you alright?" Jon yelled back. "We're ok, but we're pinned down and there's water rising. Can you dig us out?"

"No sir. There's a very large rock covering the hole up here. It's too big to move. I could try to use my phaser and blast it."

Jon looked at Trip who was shaking his head. "I wouldn't try it, Cap'n. It could bring more rocks down and crush us to death." Jon called back to Malcolm. "Trip doesn't think that would be a good idea. Can you find another way to get us out?"

"Travis and I will search the area to find a way down to you. Just stay put, we'll get you out."

Jon looked at Trip and sarcastically asked "Where does he think we're going to go?" Trip shrugged his shoulders


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

While they waited for the Calvary to come to the rescue, they tried and failed several times to free themselves. They had completely given up and attempted to relax while waiting, when Trip unexpectedly started laughing. "What? What's so funny?" Jon asked.

"Oh. I was just thinking of how this will look when Malcolm and Travis do finally manage to dig us out...the two of us laying here, you on top of me like this."

"Not funny, Trip."

"Aw come on. It's a little funny. Haven't you ever been caught in a compromising situation before, Cap'n?"

"That's none of your business."

"Oh! So you have! Sounds like a juicy story. Tell me." Trip grinning as he looked like a child waiting for his bedtime story.

"There's really nothing to tell." Jon said.

"So? Tell me anyways. It's not like we're going anywhere, and I won't tell anybody. I promise."

Reluctantly Jon said "Ok Trip, but I'm warning you, you'll be disappointed."

Trip reached his arms behind him, laying his head on them ready to hear the story as Jon started. "I was seventeen. My dad let me use the car to take this girl I was going with out to the movies. Well, at some point, we changed our minds about the movie and drove around for a while. Well...you know that every town has a make-out point."

Trip grinned widely at Jon then said. "Oh yeah. I know make-out point _very_ well. Go on."

"Yeah. So there we were at make-out point, in the back seat...talking. Just talking."

"Uh-huh. Sure. And _somehow_ the windows got fogged up?" Trip said.

Jon gave him a little chuckle before replying. "Yeah. You know how windows can be. Fogging up for no reason."

They both chuckled as Jon finished his story. "So, we're in the back seat, windows fogged, when I hear a tapping. I looked up and it was a local cop asking what we were doing and telling us to get our clothes back on and leave before he called our parents. Well needless to say, we got the hell out of there real fast."

Trip looked at Jon, disappointed. "That's it? That's your story?"

"I told you you'd be disappointed."

"So. How far did you get, with the girl that is?"

"Not far enough."

Trip reached around and patted Jon on the shoulder a few times saying "Yeah, Cap'n. Don't ever tell that story again. It's a real letdown."

"Ok, Trip. You top it then. I told you mine, tell me yours."

Trip's face got a little red as he said "No. I can't. It's too embarrassing."

"Oh! Now you _have_ to tell me! I won't tell anyone."

"No. I can't."

"Do I have to make it an order, commander?" Jon joked as Trip let out a sigh.

"Ok. Fine. Well, I was sixteen, almost seventeen. My dad was away on business and my mom decided her and Lizzy would to Georgia for a week to visit my aunt. I was working a summer job, so I couldn't go, which left the house all to myself."

Jon grinned as he said "Oooo! This is already getting good."

Trip continued. "Yeah, well. I guess mom and Liz came home early. I swear, I didn't even hear them come in. So, there we were, in my bedroom when..."

Jon interrupted. "Oh no! Don't tell me it was your sister that caught you!"

"No. My mom."

"Well, that's not as embarrassing as your sister catching you."

"Yes it is. When my mom walked in my room, I was in mid...uh...oh my God."

Jon's eyes got wide. "You...you mean you were..."

"Yeah."

"Oh God Trip, you're right. That is embarrassing."

Trip shook his head. "Oh...it's worse than that."

Jon asked with amusement in his voice. "What could possibly be worse than getting caught in mid...oh my God with a girl by your mother?"

"Yeah. There's the embarrassing part. I wasn't with a girl."

Jon started laughing. "You were_ alone?_"

"No. No, I...wasn't alone."

"Well if you wasn't alone and you wasn't...with...a... Oh! You mean...another boy?"

"Yeah. That's how my parents found out that I'm bisexual. Needless to say, I wanted to find the biggest hole on the planet, throw myself in and cover it with the biggest rock. Uh...no pun intended."

"So, how did your parents react? Finding out you're bisexual?" Jon cautiously asked.

Trip replied. "At first they thought it might have been some sort of a phase, but once they realized it wasn't a phase, they were ok with it. They just wanted me to be happy. What about you? How did your dad react when you told him?"

Jon looked down as a little sadness came over him. "I never told my dad."

Trip looked shocked. "Don't tell me in this day and age you're ashamed of your sexually."

"No Trip. I'm not ashamed of being bisexual. It's just...well. When I was a teen and puberty hit, of course I noticed the girls, but I noticed boys too. I just thought it was something all kids go through at that age, so I didn't say anything about it. When I got a little older I realized it wasn't something all kids go through, and I was confused and a little afraid."

Trip knew this confusion and fear all too well and nodded as Jon continued. "Once I started accepting my sexually, my dad's health took a turn for the worse. I didn't want to do or say anything to make things worse for him. I've always regretted not telling him, we were always so close. I felt like I was keeping some kind of dirty little secret from him."

A tear escaped from Jon's eye as Trip softly said to him. "I'm sure your dad would've been ok with it. I know I never got the chance to meet him, but everything you've told me, he loved you very much. He wouldn't care if you're with a woman or man. Just that you're happy."

Jon quietly said "I know, but I'm not like you. I know he would have been ok with it." Trip noticed Jon's comment about not being like him and wondered about it, but decided to let it pass.

A few moments passed in silence as the two of them reflected on their own teenage years and the differences in coming to terms with their sexually when Trip suddenly blurted out "You know I've always been attracted to you."

Jon looked at him and sighed as Trip continued. "I know. I know. You're my commanding officer, and you always will be. There's nothing either of us can do to change that, besides, I value our friendship too much to screw that up, but have you ever...at least thought about it? Us, I mean?"

Jon thought for a moment to find the right words. "Trip, I'll be honest, yes I've thought about it, but you're right I'm your commanding officer, it wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, I'm not like you." There it was again and it made Trip wonder even more what he meant by that.

Jon continued. "Out of curiosity, does T'Pol know? About you being bisexual?"

"Yes. Of course she knows. I always tell the person I'm involved with before things get too serious. I think it's best that way. I mean, if it's something they can't handle its best they know up front before there's too much of an emotional commitment."

"How did she take it? Did she even understand what being bi means?"

"She knew what it meant. This is going to shock you but, even on Vulcan there are those that are bi and gay."

"_What?_ I would assume that Vulcans would find it illogical."

"Well...they do, but they also accept that attraction isn't something that can be controlled or meditated away. I know. Confusing, right?"

"You're telling me. So...is that the reason you're not together anymore?"

Trip shook his head. "No. She was ok with it. We split up because...I don't know, we're just not compatible I guess. It's ok, we're still good friends, that's all that counts."

Before Jon realized what was happening, Trip reached up and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Jon's entire body stiffened with the shock of what was happening. He wanted to pull away but something deep inside him told him that this felt right.

He began to relax and returned Trip's passion when Trip stopped, breaking the kiss, then looked around in the air as if he were expecting something drastic to happen.

When he locked eyes with Jon he said. "There. You see? You kissed someone under your command and the universe didn't come to an end."

Jon wasn't too sure how to take that and said "I'm glad you enjoyed that because it's the only time that will ever happen."

Trip grinned at him. "Yep. Now I can die happy."

A second later they heard the rocks in the wall next to them shifting. The Calvary had arrived they thought. Suddenly they were both being sprayed by a gush of water as the hole was filling faster.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

They both scrambled to pack the leaking hole with mud and rocks as Trip yelled out "Hey universe! When I said I could die happy, I was speaking metaphorically!"

The fear coming through in Jon's voice as he said. "It's going to be alright, Trip. Malcolm and Travis will be here any second. It's going to be alright."

"Yeah! Says the guy on top!" Trip shot back as the water was now halfway to his face.

As the water level slowed it's rising pace, Jon reached down, wrapping his arms behind Trip's head and shoulders, pulling him up above the water line. Trip let out a little moan as he felt the pressure on his back, he softly said. "It's ok, Cap'n. Let me go. It's ok."

"No Trip! I won't let you go! I won't let you drown!" Jon pulled again as the water crept up closer to Trip's face.

"Ugh! Cap'n no! I can't raise any higher! You're going to break my back! Just let me go. It's ok."

Trip looked up at Jon and wasn't sure if it was water, tears, or a combination of both running down his face as Jon's shaky voice said. "No Trip. I can't let you go. Not now."

Jon watched as the water level continued its slow climb while Trip took several deep breaths, holding the last breath just as the water completely covered his head. Trip's eyes, still open under the water, locked onto Jon. When he couldn't hold his breath any longer, Jon took a deep breath, plunging his face under the water, placing his mouth onto Trip's and blew the air from his lungs into Trip's lungs. He repeated this process four times. On his fifth attempt, Trip held his hand to Jon's chest holding him back. Jon could see Trip from under the water mouthing the words _"its ok"_ to him.

Jon shook his head and began yelling. "No Trip! Let me help you! You can't go! Not like this!" Tears formed in Jon's eyes as Trip's body began to convulse and he watched as the light in Trip's blue eyes started to dim. Then it was over. "No! No! God no!" He yelled. The water was rising to Jon's face and he prepared himself to be the next to go when suddenly the rocks of the wall shifted again.

He heard Travis' voice yelling. "Captain! Commander! We're here. We're getting you out." Jon yelled back "Hurry! Trip is trapped under the water! _Hurry!_"

As the rocks were removed, the water in the hole began gushing out and Trip was free of his watery grave. Jon quickly began CPR as Travis and Malcolm started pulling the rocks off of their captain's back and legs. A breath in a series of air into Trip's lungs caused a gush of water to erupt from his mouth, Jon turned him on his side to allow the rest of the water escape his lungs. As Trip laid coughing and gasping for air Jon said. "Breathe. That's it, Trip. Breathe."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Back on the Enterprise, Jon had just gotten out of the shower. One towel wrapped around his waist, using another towel to dry his hair. He pulled the towel away from his head, and looked at it, scowling at the dark area left behind on the towel. He showed it to Porthos, who was laying on the small couch and said. "Look at this. Three showers and I still have mud in my hair." Porthos knew his human was looking for some sort of response, but didn't know what it should be, so he gave Jon a wide-mouth yawn. Just then the door chime chirped and he called over his shoulder "Come in."

The door opened, Trip stood there and said "You wanted to see me Cap'n?"

"Yes. Come in."

As Trip entered the captain's quarters, Jon showed him the towel, hoping for a better response than what he had gotten from his dog. "I've taken three showers already and there's still mud in my hair! I swear, I'm going to end up using all of the hot water on the ship before I get this gunk out."

Trip chuckled saying "I know what you mean. Stuff reminds me of Georgia red clay. Once you get it on you, it's damn near impossible to get off. Hell, I think I still have mud in my belly button."

Jon told Trip to pour them a couple of drinks and sit down while he got dressed, then disappeared into the other room. As Trip sat on the couch, setting the drinks on the table he had a sinking feeling that whatever Jon wanted to talk to him about wasn't going to be pleasant. Jon reemerged from the bathroom in jogging pants and a tee shirt and shooed Porthos off the couch so he could sit as he grabbed his drink. "Ah! Nothing like a good scotch after a hot shower." He said as he tried to get comfortable.

After taking a sip of the drink he asked Trip "What did Phlox have to say about you're..."

"Dying?" Trip finished for him as Jon nodded. "He said that I'll be fine, for the most part. I mighta killed off a brain cell or two but, you breathing for me gave me the extra few minutes that saved my life. Thank you."

With an evil glint in his eye, Jon replied. "You didn't have too many brain cells to begin with. Are you sure you can afford to lose any?"

"Ha...ha. You're so funny."

Trip looked at Jon for a moment, the sinking feeling worse now, and he wanted to get this over with. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Jon sighed as he prepared himself for the uncomfortable conversation. "About what happened on the planet."

Trip's sinking feeling confirmed, he decided that he would take the full weight of this burden and gently said. "Ok. I kissed you. I'm sorry, it shouldn't have happened and I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm very sorry for that. Just pretend it never happened and we'll never speak of it again. Ok?"

"No Trip, not ok. I...I want to talk about this, I _need_ to talk about this."

"Ok then. I'm here to listen. Let me have it."

Jon looked down as his cheeks blushed a little before continuing. "You need to understand. I'm...I'm not like you." There it was again and Trip wasn't going to let it pass this time.

"That's the third time you've said that. What do you mean you're not like me?"

Jon sat a moment trying to get his thoughts in order before explaining. "Trip, I know I'm bisexual. I came to terms with that a long time ago, but I've never...never explored that part of my sexually like you have."

Trip felt the universe crashing in on him as he realized what Jon was saying and quietly asked. "You mean, you've never been with another man?"

"No. Hell, I never even kissed another man...until today. Don't get me wrong, I've been attracted to men, but I never felt the desire to be with one until...until I met you."

Trip was shocked by this. "Me!? Why me?"

"I don't know, Trip. You're kind, funny, attractive, warm, and genuine, and I know you don't play games when it comes to a relationship. I guess that's why I always thought if...if I _were_ to explore that part of me...it would be with you."

Trip sat for a moment to process this then asked. "What are you trying to tell me, Jon?"

"I think I might want to break the Captain's number one rule of conduct."

Before Trip realized what was happening, Jon leaned over and planted a deep, passionate kiss on his lips.

Trip pushed him back a little, eyeing him for a moment before saying. "It's not that simple, Cap'n. I've been attracted to you for a long time. I'm not looking for a one night thing. I know a relationship with me isn't something you're prepared for. That's why I never let myself get too wrapped up in the thought of you."

"I'm not looking for a one night stand either, Trip. I've thought a lot about you over the years. I've thought about exploring myself with you...if you'll let me. I know getting involved with someone under my command is going to be difficult and I'm prepared for that. We'll just have to be discreet..._very_ discreet. Is that something you're willing to take on?"

Trip thought about this for a moment. "Yes. Yes it is. We'll do this...at your pace, all the time you need, I'll give that to you."

Jon gave Trip another kiss then laid his head on Trip's chest. He felt Trip's strong, warm arms wrapping tightly around him, and for the first time in his life he felt safe, comfortable and truly himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Klingons & Dilithium, Oh My**

They had been together four months now and not much had went on other than kissing and touching. Trip was being patient, allowing Jon to take his time getting used to the idea of being sexual with a man.

They were in Jon's quarters having a make-out session where at some point they had both already lost their shirts, when Trip decided to make the bold move prepared that if he'd cross a line and Jon became uncomfortable, he would put an abrupt stop to it. He slowly undid Jon's pants and pulled them off, watching Jon's face for any sign that said "stop". No sign yet and he continued, taking off his own pants. He laid on Jon, kissing his lips as he felt Jon's heart racing and body trembling. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I guess. What do you plan on doing?"

"Nothing. Just the first time we've been naked together. Well...other than the men's shower in the gym...but that's different I guess."

"Yes. Very different. Speaking of which, next time we go to the gym together, we should take showers in stalls far away from each other."

"Why? Not like we're sharing a shower stall. We're both too careful for that."

"I caught you looking. How would it look if someone else caught you looking at the Captain in the shower?"

Trip laughed. "No one was around, we was alone. I wouldn't be daft enough to do something like that if there were other guys there. You're just lucky I didn't snap a towel at that sweet ass of yours."

"That would be a good way of losing some teeth." Jon laughed.

Trip rubbed his hand on Jon's chest. "Mmm. Your heart rate went down and you're not trembling any more. That's a good sign."

"Guess just laying here talking, I kind of forgot we're both naked."

"Mmm-hmm. Come here." Trip whispered and placed his mouth on Jon's. He slid his hand down southward and stroked at Jon's member until it got rock hard. He started kissing his way down in the direction of where his hand now resided.

When he got to Jon's stomach he felt him tense. "Trip? What are you doing?"

Trip raised his eyes up at him. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"Are...are you going to do what I think?"

"Mmm-hmm." He kissed the few inches of stomach that was left before reaching his target. He kept his eyes locked with Jon's as he softly kissed and licked the head of his lover's hard member. He opened his mouth and slowly took him in.

Jon rolled his eyes back and dropped his head onto the pillow. "Oh God!" Trip was sucking on him in ways he'd never been sucked before. Trip seemed to instinctively know all the right pressure spots. He felt the muscle of Trip's tongue moving and twisting in ways he'd never felt before nor thought possible. He was truly spellbound when he felt the tightening. "Oh. You better stop. I'm about to..." He looked in Trip's eyes and immediately understood that it was what he wanted. Without holding back, and with a loud groan, he released in Trip's mouth. To Trip's credit, he took most of it in, but some did end up pooling onto his stomach.

Trip wiped his mouth and grinned. "Like that did you?" Like a cat, he scurried back up Jon's body and placed a deep kiss on his lips then whispered in his ear. "I thought you would. Oh God I want...I need you." Jon was satisfied, but Trip still had a problem.

"Trip...I don't think...I'm ready for that...just yet."

Trip dropped his head on Jon's shoulder. "Ok. I know. It's ok. Just at least let me..."

Jon felt Trip's hand move down and felt the stroking against his stomach as Trip gave himself a hand job. He laid back with his hands on Trip's hips feeling each stroke until he felt the hot eruption spilling from his lover onto his stomach and felt the vibration coming from Trip's chest as he let out a growling moan. Wet and sticky, they both got up to move to the bathroom and clean off when Trip asked the shocking question. "Want to share a shower stall?"

As the warm water of the shower sprayed down on them, Jon tried to figure out when and how he got talked into taking a shower with another man. As he ran his fingers through his lover's blonde hair, he began to realize how comfortable he had become with this man who was once his best friend and now lover. He felt a shiver in his stomach as he thought about what Trip had done to him on the couch and how good...no...right it felt and questioned himself how right it might feel if it were the other way around.

He kissed Trip passionately sliding his hand down until it was firmly gripped around Trip, stroking him. He moved his kisses down his neck then his chest. Before he knew it, he was on his knees in front of Trip poised to take him in his mouth, hesitating as he never did this and wasn't sure if he knew what to do.

"Jon...are you about to...?"

Looking up sheepishly he said. "I think so. I'm not sure what to do."

"Just listen to me...that's all you have to do."

He took Trip into his mouth, listening for the instructions as he started slowly bobbing his head back and forth. He heard Trip sucking air through his teeth. "Ah. That's it. Suck a little harder. AH! Watch the teeth baby! There you go, that's it. Mmm. A little faster. Mmm."

He started to wonder how in the world women did this. So many things to think about being the one doing the act. As the man who was always on the receiving end, his only concern was to lay back and enjoy it. He suddenly had a new respect for the work of all those women over the years who did so much to bring him to completion and made a mental note to send them all a 'thank you' card when Trip's sharp voice broke him out of that thought. "AH! TEETH BABY! TEETH!"

Jon pulled back and looked up at Trip. "I'm sorry. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all."

"No, no. It's ok. You're doing fine. Just watch the teeth. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how much that hurts."

"I didn't mean to scrape my teeth on you. How do you keep your teeth out of the way?"

"Just relax your jaw and let your mouth do the work. Try again?"

He took Trip into his mouth again, concentrating on keeping his jaw relaxed. He heard Trip moan. "That's right. That's the way. Suck harder. Mmm." He took a little more of him in and gagged.

He thought he was going to vomit and pulled away while heaving. "I'm sorry. It's not you, I don't know what happened."

"You went too deep and hit your gag reflex. It's ok. Over time you'll either lose your gag reflex or at least know where it is so you don't take too much in. Try again?"

Jon went in again keeping the mantra in his head. _Jaw relaxed. Watch out for gag reflex. Suck harder._

He was stopped again at Trip's sharp cry. "Don't suck that hard!"

Adding another line to his mantra. _Jaw relaxed. Watch out for gag reflex. Suck harder. Don't suck too hard._ He thought he was starting to get the hang of it as he heard Trip moaning and soft words of "yes" when he heard him encouraging him to go faster. Another line to his mantra. _Jaw. Gag reflex. Suck hard, not too hard. Faster._ He really, really needed to send thank you cards.

He heard Trip's loud moan. "Oh. I'm gonna..."

Before Trip could finish the sentence, his mouth was filled with thick liquid that tasted salty and bitter. Before he could react, a choking amount went down his throat. He pulled back only to be splashed in the face. He started to heave as the amount of thick liquid churned in his stomach and he doubled over coughing. When his fit subsided, he wiped his mouth and looked up at his blonde lover who looked amused.

"Ok. So we learned three things. You have a sensitive gag reflex. You're a spitter, not a swallower. And you have strong teeth. Good to know."

The comm channel beeped. "Bridge to Captain Archer."

Jon stood up and reached out of the shower door to push the button as he put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. "Archer here."

"Our sensors are reading an uninhabited planet not too far from here and it's picking up dilithium signatures. Should we investigate?"

"I think that would be a good idea. How long will it take to get there?"

"About five minutes, sir."

"Ok. I'm in the shower...give me fifteen and I'll be up there."

"Yes sir. Bridge out." The channel closed

He turned to Trip and saw the look on his face and shrugged. "A captain's work is never done."

Trip wrapped his arms around Jon's waist and pulled him close. "Yeah, well...you worked pretty good on me for your first time, lover."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Jon poked his head out the door to make sure no one was in the hallway as Trip slipped out. He stepped back into his quarters and waited a full minute before leaving for the bridge. He knew Trip would head for engineering while he went to the bridge, so there wouldn't be any awkward cover-up story should someone question why they were both freshly showered at the same time. What he wasn't prepared for was seeing Trip on the bridge, standing at T'Pol's work station hunched over the view scope and he slightly startled before recovering himself quickly.

"Trip? Are you the resident Vulcan now?"

"Naw. Just checking out these dilithium readings. There's a small asteroid field orbiting the planet that's giving off pretty good readings as well. This might be worthy of setting up a mining colony. We would need to get down to the planet and take some up close scans to find out the quality of the dilithium though."

"T'Pol? What about the planet? Is it safe for us to be down there?"

"It is a somewhat breathable atmosphere, however I wouldn't recommend more than six hours without an EV suit. The temperature is cold, 36.4 degrees Fahrenheit and the planet seems to be comprised of nothing more than a large cave system."

"Ok. Winter dress then. Sounds like we might be doing some spelunking, Travis and Reed, since you're both experienced in that, you're with me. Trip, I'm going to need your expertise in dilithium quality. Let's get going. T'Pol, you have the bridge."

Malcolm cleared his throat. "Captain...I can't believe I'm about to say this but...maybe we should take a couple of MACOs with us as well."

"I doubt we're going to run into any hostiles while we're down there."

"No sir I doubt that, but if we should run into some kind of trouble...like a fall...they are trained in rescue."

Jon thought about that for a moment. "You make an excellent point. Get with Hayes and have him select a couple of his people and we'll all meet in the shuttle bay in ten minutes. The rest of us...let's go get geared up."

"Aye sir." They all responded.

XXX

They had been on the planet for forty-five minutes, down a deep cavern, taking their scans. "These readings are incredible! Eighty-six percent pure dilithium. This has got to be the purest deposit we've ever seen. Wouldn't take much to process." Trip said.

Jon smiled. "Worthy of a mining colony?"

"Oh yes. Very worthy."

"Ok. Let's get back to the shuttle and get our reports to Starfleet so they can get people out here to set it up. Job well done everyone." He reached for his communicator. "Archer to Enterprise. The readings are showing excellent dilithium quality. We're on our way back up."

The response he received was broken and filled with static. "_We...trans...can...ca...kli_..."

"I'm not reading. Can you boost the signal?"

"_Trans...plan...kli...your...ba...ship_."

"Maybe we're too far underground for a signal to get through." Malcolm suggested.

"Sounds like it. Let's get back to the shuttle and we can hail from there."

Trip looked concerned. "I wonder what T'Pol was trying to tell us. She sounded urgent."

"Most likely our transmission wasn't getting through either. I'm sure it's nothing. Let's start climbing back up."

Within twenty minutes they reached the upper portion that would lead them back to the shuttle when they heard movement and voices. "Captain, you don't think Commander T'Pol sent a landing party for us do you?" MACO sergeant Jackson asked.

"No. I don't see any reason that she would." Jon's hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he drew his pistol.

The two MACOs, sergeant Jackson and lieutenant Foster got in front of the landing party while MACO sergeant Davis took rear position. Everyone had weapons drawn, hoping for the best, and ready for the worst as a Klingon patrol rounded the corner.

The cave was filled with the sound of weapons fire and rocks breaking apart as individuals scrambled to find cover. As the shootout continued, Starfleet and MACO alike realized they were outnumbered and needed to retreat and regroup. As MACOs took forward to lay down cover fire, Starfleet made a run to retreat.

Next to him, Trip heard the blast of a Klingon disruptor and felt Jon pound into him. He grabbed hold of Jon while turning to let off a volley of return fire at the Klingons, pulling Jon along with him.

As they rounded a corner, they heard one of the MACOs call out. "Cover!" That was the signal used to alert everyone that a grenade was being thrown. Everyone ducked and covered their ears as a loud BOOM erupted and a large collection of rocks came crashing down, cutting off the Klingons advancement and blocking the path back to the shuttle.

"It won't take long for the Klingons to dig through that. We need to keep moving." Foster said.

They stood, Trip helping Jon to his feet when he let out a painful moan and shot his hand to his side. Trip looked down and saw the blood. "Cap'n been shot. Hold on a minute."

"We don't have time for that right now. We got to move. Captain, can you make it?" Foster snapped.

"Yeah. I think so." Jon's voice was tight with the pain.

They walked for over two hundred yards when Jon's knees gave out and he collapsed, Trip holding him to control the fall. "We got to stop a minute and check the Cap'n wound."

"Alright, make it quick." Foster snapped.

They all took a protective stance, weapons raised, watching for any movement as Trip gingerly raised Jon's shirt.

"Oh God." Trip's eyes were wide. "Malcolm get over here. Take a look at this."

Malcolm looked at the Captain's wound and saw the charred skin, gaping hole and a lot of blood pouring from it. "He's going to bleed out if we don't get it stopped. We need to cauterize the wound."

Trip asked if anyone had a knife. One of the MACOs pulled out a hefty eight inch knife from his boot. Trip then told Malcolm and Travis to hold Jon's legs and arms down. He found a piece of stone for Jon to bite down on then used his phase pistol to heat the blade of the knife to a glowing red hot. "Close your eyes Cap'n."

The rock firmly in his mouth muffled his protest as he shook his head. "Mmff-mmm."

Trip gave a look at Malcolm, who was holding Jon's arms down. Malcolm shifted position, placing a knee on one of Jon's arms and covered his eyes with his hand. Trip started to move the knife towards the wound then hesitated. "Do you want me to do it, Commander?" Malcolm asked.

"No. I can do it." In a swift move Trip pushed the hot blade onto Jon's skin as the burning flesh filled his nostrils. Jon let out a scream, muffled by the bit in his mouth and Trip winced as if the blade was being pressed against him. His hand was shaking as he pulled the blade away and Malcolm released his grip on the Captain. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." As Trip fought back the tears stinging his eyes.

Jon laid panting, spitting out the bit as tears of pain rolled down his face. "You had to do it. It's ok."

"Alright. We done here? Let's get moving." Foster snapped.

Trip jumped to his feet and was nose to nose with Foster. "Just give the Cap'n a minute! He needs to rest damnit!"

"We don't have time for that! For all we know the Klingons have already dug their way through the rocks and are on our heels! We got to keep moving!" Foster yelled back.

"You're not in charge here! I say the Cap'n rests, besides we don't even know where we're going!" Trip yelled.

"Trip, Foster is right, the Klingons could be right behind us. We need to keep moving." Jon's voice was weak when he spoke and Trip knelt down next to him.

Brushing the sweat from Jon's brow, Trip's voice softened "You're weak and need a break to get your strength back. We can take a rest for a few minutes. The MACOs can set trigger charges to go off if the Klingons get too close, but right now you need to rest a minute." He looked at Jon with pleading eyes, fighting the urge to hold his lover close to him and showering him with warm, reassuring kisses.

"Ok. You're right, but just a few minutes. Foster, you heard him. Set trigger charges."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Once again they were on the move. They hadn't gone very far when they heard the explosion of the trigger charges. Trip turned to Foster. "How many trigger charges do you guys have?"

"Between the three of us? Couple dozen." This earned raised brows from Trip as Foster continued. "What? Standard protocol. MACOs use a lot of trigger charges...and grenades."

"Good to know." Trip responded. Jon chuckled at the inside joke. Trip continued. "Set a couple more charges here. We'll place them at regular intervals. We might be outnumbered, but we can at least slow them down long enough until we find a way out of here."

Trip pulled his communicator out, hoping they were close enough to the surface and tried to hail the ship again. "Tucker to Enterprise do you read?"

"_We...comm...kli...can...out._"

"Look. I don't know if you're reading me or not but we got a shit load of Klingons down here. Cap'n been injured bad and needs immediate medical attention. We're cut off from the shuttle and have no clue where the hell we're at. If you're reading and can get a lock on us...beam us up!" Trip waited a moment, when nothing happened he hailed again. "Guess you can't beam us out. We'll stay on the move and keep the Klingons off our sixes as long as we can. Tucker out."

Jon's steps faltered and Trip grabbed hold of him. "Alright Cap'n. I got you, just keep moving."

They walked for about an hour, setting charges as they went, when Jon collapsed. "He needs to rest." Trip told Foster.

"I can see that but there isn't any place here where there's cover. We got to keep moving."

"Lieutenant Foster." Travis called. "There's a dead pit room here, not very big, but we can use it to hide while the Captain rests."

"A what pit room?"

"Dead pit sir. It's an area of a cave, a hole if you will, that doesn't have any other passages but the one in or out."

"Why not just call it a hole in the wall? One way in or out huh? I don't like it. We would be trapped in there if the Klingons find us."

Trip was growing more concerned about Jon as time passed. "We don't have much of a choice. We've been setting charges so I'm sure the Klingons have been slowed down pretty good by now, we can set one over there. Should the Klingons trigger it, it'll give us the time we need to make our escape."

Foster considered the plan for a moment. "Only one way in or out would be easier to defend if it came to that. Ok, let's get in here and get the Captain some rest."

Trip laid Jon down and noticed the amount of sweat covering him. He was pale and his skin clammy. Trip lifted Jon's shirt to look at the wound. He barely touched the place when Jon let out a painful moan. "Malcolm, take a look at this. What do you make of it?"

Malcolm looked at the wound. Most of Jon's side was dark red, almost purple, and a slight bulge around the wound area. He gave a gentle press and Jon let out a painful cry. Malcolm pulled Trip to the side to speak with him.

"I think we both know what's going on."

"Internal bleeding?"

"Yeah. And judging from the pain, pretty bad too."

Trip crinkled his brows together. "What can we do? Reopen the wound to get the pressure off?"

"No. That could cause more bleeding and even severe infection. He needs surgery immediately. The only thing we can do for him is get him to the ship as fast as possible."

"How long do you think he-" Trip choked on his words and couldn't finish the sentence.

"An hour, maybe two. I don't know."

"Trip?" Jon's voice was weak and shaky. "What's going on?"

Trip knelt down next to Jon and ran his fingers though Jon's hair. "Nothing. Just trying to make a plan to get us out. That's all."

"Don't bullshit me Trip. What were you really talking about?"

Trip blew out a breath. "Straight forward Cap'n. We think you might have internal bleeding. We're going to get you out of here as fast as we can and Phlox will work his magic to get you back together. All you have to do is hang in there, Jon. Promise me you'll hang in."

"I'll do my best. Now get me up so we can get back on the move."

"Nothing doing. You're going to stay put and rest for now. That's an order."

"I'm the Captain Trip. You can't order me."

"Starfleet regulations...I don't know the code number, T'Pol would know, says that when a Captain is incapacitated, the next highest ranking officer is in command. You're incapacitated and that makes me in command, so yes. I order you to rest."

Jon gave a lopsided smile. "Aye sir."

Trip stood up. "Ok. We can't keep walking around here like blind mice. Malcolm, you stay here with me, the rest of you find a way out of here...split off if you have to, but find a way out. Everybody do a communication check, maybe we can't get through to the ship, but we might be able to communicate with each other."

They all pulled out their communicators and nodded when each one got a return beep to indicate they could communicate.

"Ok good. Any of you find a way out, call it in then double time it back here. Foster, give Travis some grenades. Avoid crossing paths with the Klingons, but if any of you run into trouble, call in your position and help will get to you fast. Good luck."

A round of "aye sir" and they were on their way. Trip went back over to Jon and sat down with his back against the wall, laying Jon's head in his lap to use as a pillow. "Don't worry. We're going to get you out. Malcolm. Guard the entrance."

After a few moments Jon looked up at Trip. "I'm sorry."

"Hey. It's not your fault you got shot. Nothing to be sorry for."

"No. Not that. I'm sorry I waited so long to let you know how I feel about you. I shouldn't have waited so long. We should have done this years ago."

"You weren't ready then. I understand."

Malcolm turned his head and looked over his shoulder at them. The look he gave pretty much told Trip that he knew what they were talking about. Trip looked down at Jon and lowered his voice. "Quiet now. Malcolm can hear us."

"I don't give a flying fuck if Reed heard. All I care about right now is that you know what you mean to me. How special you are to me. God Trip, I was a fool to hold you at arm's length for so long. I wasted so much time, I knew you were attracted to me, and I was attracted to you but..."

"Hey. I know. You were afraid. I've been there and I don't see it as wasted time. Our friendship has grown so strong over the years and it's the strength of that friendship that makes this so special...for both of us. Get some rest now."

Jon snuggled deep into Trip's lap and closed his eyes.

A period of time passed, Jon was asleep and Trip's mouth was getting dry. He didn't want to move and wake Jon. "Malcolm. Toss me some water."

Malcolm got a water canteen from his bag and brought it over to Trip. "So. How long has this been going on?" Trip drank from the canteen, not answering as he eyed Malcolm. "Hey. Don't get me wrong. I personally think the regulations about fraternizing is archaic. I mean they can't put a bunch of people together for months, years even and expect us to act like good little girl and boy scouts. Right? I was just curious, that's all. The two of you are such good friends, I guess if something more has developed, you'll be good for each other."

"Your opinions on the frat regs is enlightening. Not what I would expect for a "by the book" kind of guy like you. Any personal reason for this? A one ensign Sato perhaps?"

Malcolm's eyes got wide and his cheeks blushed. Trip chuckled. "I see the way you and Hoshi flirt with each other."

"Well...flirt. Yes but that's all it is."

Trip gave Malcolm a nudge on the shoulder. "You should go for it, Mal." He looked down at Jon and ran his fingers through his dark hair as he got quiet. "Don't wait too long."

"So? How long have you two been together?"

"Four months."

"Oh damn. Don't worry. We're going to get him back to the ship and you'll have a hundred years of happiness together."

"Old, wrinkled, fat and bald years huh?"

"Something like that." Malcolm chuckled. "And don't worry about the regs. Your secret is safe with me. No one will know until you want them to know."

"Thanks Mal. Now go guard the entrance." Trip chuckled as he laid his head back and closed his eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Travis had been walking a pathway that took him winding around through narrow footpaths and rocky inclines when he saw light in the distance. His hopes up, he hurried his way towards it. As he got to the opening, he heard voices speaking in Klingon. He didn't know what they were saying but it didn't sound friendly. Staying out of sight, he took a peek out and had all the information he needed. He contacted the others and headed back to the dead pit room.

The MACOs and Travis arrived within seconds of each other and Malcolm went to wake Trip. As he started to reach his hand out to touch his arm, Trip's eyes suddenly snapped open and Malcolm felt the digging of the business end of a pistol under his chin. "Commander. It's me. We found the way out."

Trip blinked at him a few times as the fog of sleep started to lift. "Malcolm?" He pulled the pistol away from Malcolm's chin. "Sorry about that."

"Just glad you didn't pull the trigger. Good reflexes though."

Trip ran his hand across his face to get the rest of the sleep out and noticed everyone else standing at the entrance. "What's going on? Did you find a way out?"

Travis stepped forward. "Yes sir. About a thirty minute hike. Sir, the path twists around and leads back close to the shuttle."

"That's great news. We can get Jon out of here faster." He mentally cursed himself for using Jon's name rather than his rank and hoped no one thought anything of it.

"Not so great sir. The path is pretty rough going and with the condition the Captain is in...on top of that there are Klingons guarding the shuttle."

"Do you know how many?" Foster asked.

"I counted six, but there could have been more I didn't see. I kept myself covered to avoid detection."

"Good work Travis. We'll just have to do what we can at getting the Cap'n through the rough spots on the path. Let's get ready to move out." Trip said.

He gently shook Jon. "Cap'n, we found a way out. Time to get moving." Jon didn't move. "Cap'n? Time to wake up. We got to go." He still didn't move. Trip started to panic and shook him harder. "Cap'n? Cap'n! Jon! Jon please wake up!"

Jon's eyes fluttered and Trip let out a sigh of relief as Jon's weakly questioned. "Wh-what's going on? Where am I?"

"We're still in the cave. We found a way out. Ready to get out of here?"

Jon slowly nodded his head as Travis and Foster helped him to his feet. Trip looked down at himself and noticed the blood on his uniform and worried if they would get his love back to the ship in time.

XXX

They walked the path that Travis found. It was slow going trying to help Jon navigate the narrow portions and getting around the rocks when they heard a Klingon's voice booming. "There they are!" as a burst of disruptor fire made them all spin around.

Trip laid Jon behind a pile of rocks for cover then pulled his pistol and fired back at the Klingons. As they continued the assault of weapons fire, the Klingons slowly advanced gaining the advantage. Suddenly Davis seemed to emerge from thin air and jumped at one of the Klingons engaging in hand to hand combat.

Davis held his own for a moment and Trip believed that he would come out the victor when the Klingon quickly grabbed Davis into a flip and Trip watched as he went over the edge to his demise. Trip let off a volley of shots to the Klingon's chest, causing the Klingon to stumble back over the edge and join Davis in the afterlife. Malcolm placed a well calculated shot at a stalactite above one of the Klingon's head, impaling him.

As the shootout continued, more rocks fell from the ceiling. A large one came down over Jackson who wasn't able to move out of the way fast enough causing his leg to be pinned. Travis and Trip ran to him as Malcolm and Foster gave cover fire. As Travis and Trip tried to move the rock off of Jackson's leg, he shouted at them. "Leave me! Get the Captain and go! Get out of here while you can!"

Trip yelled back. "We're not leaving you behind!"

"Go on! Go!" He looked down at his hands. Trip followed his gaze and saw two grenades that had been activated.

"Are you crazy? You can't!" Trip hissed.

"Go. Save the Captain." Jackson's voice was calm and resolved in his decision.

Trip caught Foster's eyes and conveyed the message in a single look. Foster and Trip pulled Jon up, flanking either side of him, half way dragging him along the path as Malcolm and Travis continued the cover fire to make their retreat. They had just made it around a bend of the path when they heard the explosion. Trip tightened as he fought to keep himself from succumbing to the grief for the man who sacrificed himself to save them.

They had reached the opening and Travis lobbed a grenade to draw the Klingons away from the shuttle. Foster changed positions with Travis to stand cover with Malcolm as the pair got Jon to the shuttle. Once on board, Trip laid Jon on the bench seat as Travis started the shuttle's ignition sequence.

The Klingons realized what was going on and began firing on the shuttle as Malcolm and Foster jumped in. As the hatch doors were closing, the Klingons continued their fire. "Oh these guys are really pissing me off! Travis move!" Trip bellowed angrily. Trip jumped into the navigation chair and pulled the shuttle into a quick reverse motion until he felt it hit the rock wall. He didn't know if he had crushed any of the Klingons between the shuttle and the rocks, he would find that out later if he had to hose off some blood and gore, but he hoped like hell he did. He kicked the shuttle into a full throttle climbing into the thin atmosphere.

As they broke from the planet into the vacuum of space, they were all shocked to find two Klingon warships in their path. What was even more shocking was that Enterprise was nowhere in sight. "What the fuck is going on!?" Trip hollered as he jerked the shuttle out of the path of the warships.

It wasn't enough however as the shuttle had already been spotted and one of the ships began a barrage of phase fire on them. The shuttle being smaller and more maneuverable held its own at keeping the Klingons from blasting them to dust.

"Commander, head for the asteroid field." Travis told him. Trip followed his train of thought and nodded. The shuttle was small enough to navigate and hide among the asteroids but the warships were too big to follow them in without sustaining serious damage.

Once inside the field, Trip found a nice, large asteroid to line the shuttle with and used it as a temporary landing site until they could figure out what was going on and what to do next.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Trip got up from the navigation controls and went back to check on Jon. "Are we getting back to the ship?" Jon asked weakly.

"Not yet, Cap'n. There's two Klingon warships and Enterprise isn't out there. They probably had to retreat for repairs or something. Don't worry, they won't stay gone long and we'll be back on the ship before you know it."

"Trip. I'm cold." Jon's voice was shaky and getting weaker by the minute. Trip pulled his jacket off and laid it on Jon. Malcolm, seeing what was going on, gave up his jacket as well.

"Travis. See if you can contact the ship." Trip called.

"Sir. We would give away our position if we tried to hail."

"I don't care about that! We need to get Jon back to Enterprise..._NOW_!" Trip lowered his voice then said. "Look. Cap'n getting worse. He needs to get to sickbay and into surgery ASAP. I...we can't lose our Cap'n."

Just as Travis reached for the comm channel he noticed an encrypted typed transmission from the ship.

_We have been monitoring the shuttle. You are aware of the Klingon threat. Enterprise took heavy damage and had to retreat in order to make necessary repairs. We will return shortly. T'Pol A72V9._

The final code was to authenticate that the message was legitimate.

Trip looked down at Jon. He had lost the color in his face, struggling to stay conscious and taking quick short breaths. Trip prayed that T'Pol would be back in time as he watched the warships circle like sharks.

XXX

Ten minutes had went by. Trip sat with Jon engaging him in conversation to keep him conscious when suddenly they saw Enterprise drop out of warp directly in front of one of the warships. Being caught off guard, the Klingon ship hadn't had time to raise their shields or take defensive measures as Enterprise opened fire on it, quickly cutting the vulnerable neck of the ship in two. Trip had to admit he was impressed at the maneuver as he watched Enterprise turn its focus onto the second ship.

The second ship had raised her shields and was firing on Enterprise. Trip winced at each strike, imaging the damage being caused and mentally counting the relays he'd have to replace. He was shocked when Enterprise made a bold move, pulling all power towards starboard, rolling the ship beneath the underbelly of the Klingon ship and fired a close range barrage of phase cannons at it, disabling the shields. The remaining Klingon ship jumped into warp to retreat.

Now that the coast was clear, Trip ordered Travis to get the shuttle back to Enterprise as fast as possible. He looked down at Jon and saw that his eyes were closed. He lightly tapped several times on his face until Jon's eyes slightly fluttered and he groaned.

Trip calculated the time it would take for the shuttle to clear the asteroids and the full docking sequence. They were looking at about ten minutes. "Come on Jon, just hang in, we're almost home. Don't give up now."

Jon slightly nodded his head, his eyes still closed. "Mmm-hmm. Try." His voice barely a whisper.

Trip kept his attention between Jon and what was going on outside the shuttle. As the shuttle cleared the asteroids getting closer to Enterprise, Trip heard a rattle of breath leaving Jon's lungs as his body went limp. "Oh God! NO!" Trip put two fingers on the side of Jon's neck and didn't feel a pulse. "Malcolm! Get over here!" He yelled.

As Malcolm jumped from his chair, he pushed Trip out of the way and checked Jon then started CPR. Trip slumped down into the chair, with a horrified look as he placed his hands over his mouth to prevent the screaming sobs from escaping. His hands were covered with Jon's blood that left bright red streaks on his face as the tears flowed.

Foster hollered towards Travis. "Take the shuttle to the port side airlock, its closer to sickbay. Hail Enterprise and have Phlox meet us there."

"Yes sir." Travis replied as he made the course adjustments and contacted the ship.

Once docked with Enterprise, Malcolm and Jon were the first off as Malcolm continued his CPR. Once Phlox had Jon onto the gurney, he pushed Malcolm out of the way as he cut and tore Jon's clothes, exposing his chest to place the cardio stimulator on him. Trip took a shaky step out of the shuttle and watched as Jon's body jumped from the electricity that was being forced through it. "Let's get him to sickbay _now_ people!" Phlox yelled at his medical staff as they whisked Jon away.

T'Pol turned to Trip. "Your presence is required in engineering. We have sustained heavy damage."

Trip didn't seem to hear her as he took a step towards following the medical team. T'Pol grabbed his arm. "Commander? Where are you going?"

"I-I need to stay with him. I need to go."

"Didn't hear what I said? I need you in engineering."

Trip was still in shock as he looked down at himself and noticed the amount of blood on his uniform then looked back up at T'Pol. "Jon's...Cap'n blood. Can't go to engineering like this. I need to stay with the Cap'n. I have his blood on me."

T'Pol was confused by Trip's behavior, but dismissed it as Trip being in shock over his best friend possibly dying. "Let Phlox do his job. You go back to your quarters and get cleaned up."

Trip nodded his head and went towards his quarters. As everyone departed, Foster got Malcolm's attention. "Kind of a strange reaction by the Commander isn't it? I mean he has had colleagues die before...hasn't he?"

Malcolm looked at Foster and shook his head. "The Captain and Commander have been best friends for years. It would be devastating for one of them to lose the other."

"That close huh?"

"Like peas in a pod."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Trip was in his quarters, pulling his clothes off as quickly as he could, dumping them into a heap on the floor. He went to the bathroom sink, turning the water on, and watched the pinkish-red swirl of blood and water going down into the drain, rubbing hard at his hands as, in his mind, the blood appeared not to be coming off.

In front of the sink, Trip crumbled to his knees sobbing. "Oh God. Please don't take him away from me. Not now. Not yet. I'm begging you please don't take him, I'm not ready to be without him."

Trip had taken his shower and a change of clothes, he sat on the couch staring at the bloody heap of clothes on the floor as his door chime rang. The sound didn't register with him and it rang again. He was only barely aware of the presence of another person in his room.

"Trip? Why are you not in engineering?"

Trip looked up at her as he felt like it was part of a dream. "Hmm?"

"Engineering. I told you to get cleaned up then go to engineering. Why are you not there?" T'Pol questioned.

He blinked a couple of times. "I-I don't know what to do with the clothes. Jon? Is-is he...?"

Through their bond T'Pol could sense that Trip was in shock and overly concerned for Jon. This confused her as she had never got this sensation from Trip before and wondered why today would be different from the other times when they thought they might have lost their captain. She took the step towards Trip and put a caring hand on his shoulder. "I'll take care of the clothes. You should go to engineering...give your mind something else to think about. I'll contact you as soon as there is news about the Captain."

Trip slowly nodded his head but didn't get up. "T'Pol? Do you know?"

"Know what?"

"About...about...how I feel about him?"

"I know that you and the Captain are close friends. We have been in situations like this before but...it seems to impact you more this time for some reason. What happened down there?"

"He got shot. That's what happened. His wound opened up and bled on me. That's what happened. He died in front of me. That's what happened.

"Trip. I still don't understand."

Trip dropped the defenses around his mind, completely opening to T'Pol.

"Oh. I see. Does he know that you love him?"

"He knows I love him as my best friend but...as my lover? I never said the words. What if I don't get the chance to tell him?"

T'Pol wasn't sure what to say to give him some comfort, so she said the only thing that came to mind. "The Captain wouldn't want you to neglect your duties from worrying about him. He would expect you to carry on as any other day. Should he become aware that you are neglecting your duties because of your personal feelings, it would cause more complications between the two of you than either of you are willing to take on."

Trip rolled her words in his mind for a moment and came to the conclusion that she was right. He nodded and stood up. "Are you going to put me on report?"

She raised a brow. "I do not know how long it took you to get cleaned up. As far as I know, you stepped out of the shower only moments before I came in and have no substantial evidence to the contrary."

"Thanks. And what about our...you going to say anything about that?"

"Again...I have no substantial evidence."

"Thanks T'Pol. I owe you." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek and left for engineering.

XXX

Trip had been in engineering for over two hours trying to fight the urge to go to sickbay and check on Jon. He had his head in a control panel when he felt the presence of someone behind him.

When he turned to look, T'Pol asked. "What are the damages?"

"Got relays blown all over the place, but you already know that. Two of the four coils are toast and needs replaced, already got people on that. Got a crack in the coolant valve, so I wouldn't recommend long term warp anytime soon, it'll take about five hours for the sealant to set. After that, we'll have to limp her back to Jupiter for a full overhaul. Plasma injector six is blown, best I can give you is warp three and even that would only be in about an hour intervals. We would have to shut down and let the engines cool before going to warp again. Have you heard anything yet?"

"Yes. The Captain is out of surgery and awake. He's asking for you."

"What? Next time open with that!" Trip called as he started rushing out of engineering.

He arrived in sickbay and saw Phlox. "T'Pol said Cap'n wanted to see me. How is he?"

"He's very lucky. I had to remove and reconnect a portion of his large intestines, there was a tear to his spleen and the right kidney was so badly damaged that it had to be removed. He will need to stay in sickbay for three or four days to make sure there isn't any infection and to give him a little time to heal, but it will take several weeks before he makes a full recovery. He is very lucky indeed to be alive."

"Can I see him?"

"Only for a few moments, he needs as much rest as he can get, but he was insistent on speaking with you."

Trip went through the drawn curtain and gave a smile at Jon. His color had come back, but he looked tired and still somewhat weak. "Hey there."

Jon gave a weak smile in return. "Hey there. You look like hell."

"Yeah? Well I'm still prettier than you."

Jon chuckled. "Oh Trip please no. It hurts when I laugh. I understand I gave you a good scare."

"Yeah...well..." Trip said as he gave Jon's hand a light squeeze. "You're ok now. That's all that counts."

Jon crinkled his brows at Trip. "I was kind of out of it down there. I'm not sure but I think I said something I shouldn't have in front of Malcolm. Or did I imagine that?"

"No. You didn't imagine it. You said it and now Malcolm knows."

"Shit. Well maybe we can convince him that I was delirious and didn't know what I was saying or who I was saying it to."

"Don't worry about it. I already spoke with Malcolm. He's not going to say anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. But uh...T'Pol knows too."

"T'Pol? What did I say in front of her?"

"Nothing. It was me."

"You told T'Pol about...us?"

"In a roundabout way. Listen, there's something I need to tell you...something we need to discuss, but not now. It can wait until after you get some rest."

"Trip?"

"It can wait. Get some rest and I'll be back later to check on you and we can talk then."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"I don't get it. Why the hell did the Klingons come after us like that?" Trip asked.

Trip, T'Pol, Hayes and Malcolm were in the ready room going over the events of what happened on the planet and what would be coming next. Trip's mind fluttered to earlier in the day recalling giving and receiving oral pleasure with his lover. The day started out so wonderful...when did it all turn to shit? He silently wondered.

T'Pol stated the facts to the group. "The Klingons also discovered the dilithium on the planet, they want it for themselves. Starfleet has ordered Enterprise to remain here and defend the area until reinforcements can arrive. The Andorians and Tellarites are about three hours away. There have been reports however of a Klingon movement along the border. It looks like they are grouping to head this way and will be here in less than two hours."

"Well isn't that just peachy! How the hell are we supposed to hold off a Klingon attack for an hour with only half a ship under us?" Trip growled in anger as his hands moved about the air. "What about any other vessels nearby? There_ has_ to be other allies close that can come help us."

"There is a Vulcan patrol an hour away."

"Well ok then. Let's get on the horn and tell them to come save our sorry asses."

T'Pol's eye twitched and her head moved slightly. Trip knew this movement meant that she didn't understand the phrase and needed clarification. "It means contact them."

"I see. I have already spoken with the commander in charge of the patrol. He believes it's illogical to risk his patrol party in a battle with the Klingons over dilithium deposits."

"He does, does he? Well we'll just see about that!" Trip turned and headed out to the bridge. "Hoshi! Get me ambassador Soval. Tell him it's urgent."

"Uh...yes sir." Hoshi sounded a bit uncertain but complied with the order.

"Trip? What do you intend to do?" T'Pol asked.

"Whatever it takes to keep us from becoming space dust. That's what I intend to do."

Soval's image appeared on the main view screen. "Commander? What can I do for you?"

Trip turned to face Soval, trying to reel in his emotions as best as he could. "You can tell me why this commander...uh." He looked towards T'Pol for a name.

"Commander Skron."

"Commander Skron thinks it's illogical to assist an UE ally in defending ourselves against a Klingon attack. Enterprise is in no shape to deal with one warship at the moment, let alone..."

"Four." T'Pol informed him.

"Four? Oh fuck." He said quietly to T'Pol before turning his attention back to Soval. "_Four_ Klingon warships."

"Commander, I am aware of the situation. Unfortunately Skron is correct. This is not...as you humans say...our fight. It would be illogical...foolish for a Vulcan vessel to risk destruction for dilithium deposits when there are other sources available. Let the Klingons have this one."

Trip nodded his head. "Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. And we let the Klingons have it. Have you read the report? The amount and purity of dilithium down there...they could build their fleet up to numbers that would exceed the humans, Tellarites, Andorians _and_ Vulcans combined. The power source would last for centuries. They would easily be in position to completely take over this entire sector and all of our planets along with it. If we can defend this dilithium deposit, Starfleet and the United Earth council would share the resources with all of our allies. Where is the logic of sitting on your hands while we get blown to bits waiting for Tellarite and Andorian support when the Vulcans are closer?"

Soval considered Trip's words. "I will speak with Commander Skron and the Vulcan high command. As usual Commander Tucker, your illogical way of thinking logically astounds me."

"I'll take that as a compliment...I guess. Thank you ambassador." Trip nodded to Hoshi to end the transmission.

XXX

Trip went to sickbay to see Jon again. He looked a little better than last time and more rested. "Have you heard about what's going on?"

"Yes. T'Pol has been keeping me updated. I'll be on the bridge before the shit hits the fan."

"Like hell you will!" Trip reached down and took Jon's hand. "Look honey, you need to stay here, you're in no condition to be on the bridge right now. Promise me you'll stay here."

"I can't do that Trip. My place is on the bridge."

"Do I need to have Phlox knock your ass out? I need you to stay here. I can't worry about you being on the bridge when you're in this condition. Christ Jon! You just had a kidney removed and your intestines put back together. Not to mention all the blood you lost."

Jon pulled his hand away and shook his head. "Trip. We're both Starfleet officers. Danger and possibly death is part of the job. Don't you think I worry like hell about you every time there's a problem in engineering? But I can't go running down there all the time. Can I? I can't let myself think about you getting hurt...or worse and neglect my duties. I expect the same from you as well. If our relationship is going to become a problem with that..."

"I know that danger is part of the job, but we're not talking about a little plasma burn here. God sakes Jon...you_ died_ on me. All personal feelings aside, for your health, you can't be on the bridge when we go into battle." He cupped Jon's face. "Promise me."

"Ok Trip. I promise."

Trip really didn't believe him but decided to let it drop and started to lean in for a kiss but then thought second about it and stood back up. "Ok good. Jon. I-I..."

"Don't say it Trip. I know. Me too. Now go get to work, Commander."

As Trip started to leave sickbay he pulled Phlox to the side. "If he tries to leave...sedate his ass."

"He's already tried once." Phlox pulled a hypospray from his pocket. "I'm ready for the next time. Hmm."

"Good." Trip nodded and turned to leave.

"Uh Commander." Phlox gave Trip a wide smile that only a Denobulan could give. "Don't worry so much about the Captain. I'll take good care of him for you. Hmm."

_Well shit! Now Phlox knows too. So much for being discreet._ Trip thought. "Uh...ok thanks."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The Vulcans sent five ships to help Enterprise defend the dilithium deposits on the planet. When the Klingons showed up, seeing the Vulcan ships and knowing that more were on the way, they decided that it was_ not_ a good day to die and turned tail as fast as they could. One of the Andorian ships used their tractor beam technology to tow Enterprise back to Jupiter to set in for repairs. Jon had spent the past four days in sickbay and was more than ready to sleep in his own bed. Trip had spent more time in engineering working on repairs and limited his visits to Jon, as Phlox had been forced to keep him sedated for most of the time to prevent him from leaving sickbay, but now that he was out of sickbay Trip went to his quarters.

"How are the repairs coming along?" Jon tried to make conversation as he poured a couple of drinks.

"Too damn slow. Once they got the coolant valve pulled, come to find out there was damage to the internal matter/antimatter mix chamber. Good thing the Andorians towed us in rather than us trying to limp back on our own. At best we would've been stranded out in BFE until someone came to get us. At worst...well. Hey. You only got one kidney now. Do you think alcohol is a good idea for you?"

"Is this what the rest of my life is going to be? You nagging me about everything?"

Trip gave him a big grin as Jon settled onto the couch and snuggled into his arm. "Learned how to nag from my mom...and you're already making long term plans for us?"

Jon took a sip of his drink and set it down. "Well...from what I understand, you can't function without me around so...guess I just have to stay and keep kicking you in the ass to do your damn job."

"Oh ha ha. The way I see it is that you need me around to pull your ass out of the fire."

"Ok Trip. I'll give you that one...this time." Jon gave Trip a passionate kiss then stood up, taking him by the hand and leading him towards the bed.

"Uh...Jon? What are you doing? I don't think you're in any shape for..."

"No. Not that. Just stay the night with me?"

They climbed in bed together, Trip snuggling behind Jon spooning him while being careful where he placed his arm. As they drifted off to sleep it occurred to Trip that this was the first time they would spend the night together like this. He gave Jon a little kiss on his shoulder. "I could get used to this."

"Me too Trip. Me too."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Fly monkey! Fly**

They both collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard and covered in the sweat of their love making. They had been a couple for a little over ten months now, still doing the best they could at keeping their relationship a secret. They spent more and more time together, spending nights in each other's quarters and making sure to slip out in the early morning hours when the hallways were deserted.

Only one time had Trip gotten caught by a lieutenant coming out of Jon's quarters, but the quick story excuse was that they had been watching a water polo game, where Trip over indulged in alcohol and passed out. The lieutenant seemed to buy the story and the only comments either of them heard were jabs at Trip for getting too drunk. Only Malcolm and T'Pol were pretty sure of the real reason as to Trip being in Jon's quarters all night...possibly Phlox, but neither was sure if Phlox really knew or not and neither was willing to ask him. The less said, the better.

Jon laid next to Trip recalling their first time having sex together. It was shortly after he had been shot by a Klingon disruptor and almost died that he decided he was ready to fully explore the true nature of his sexuality. He hadn't said anything to Trip as they kissed and teased one another so Trip was a little surprised when Jon got up, went into the bathroom and returned with the small bottle of skin oil that he used after showers. Trip, knowing what was on Jon's mind, became over joyed as Jon had gently rolled him over and positioned them for what would come next.

Jon had given anal intercourse to a couple of women in the past, so he knew the mechanics of what to do, what did surprise him however, was the sensation of giving it to a man was different. As Trip began to climax, Jon could feel the tightening and quivering of Trip's muscles deep inside of him, stimulating his own muscles. As Trip's release let out, Jon could feel the waves of the release and it served to heighten his own climax, making him shudder in his release.

A short time after that, Jon had decided that he was ready to try. He wasn't surprised that Trip would be patient and gentle with him, as it was his first time being penetrated. What did surprise him was that Trip seemed to be prepared for it when he reached into his bedside table and pulled out a bottle of lubing oil that smelled like coconut. Trip had thought of everything, the oil, placing pillows under him for support, even down to giving him a towel to use when he was ready to ejaculate.

The sensations he felt were overwhelming. The pleasure far exceeded the discomfort of his anal muscles being stretched in ways they shouldn't be. He could remember Trip's soft kisses on him, the gentleness of his touch, the tropical sent of coconut, Trip's soothing words, helping him to relax. Once he began to relax and enjoy the full measure of the action, he delighted in the feeling of having his lover inside of him, taking his mental and physical stimulation to new places he never thought possible. When he did finally release, it was with a force he had never felt before, so much so that Trip himself was surprised by it. When he felt the warm liquid from his lover filling his innards, the sensation caused a second, equally powerful release.

Jon began to chuckle when Trip propped himself on his elbow. "What's the joke?"

"Oh nothing. Just thinking about coconuts."

Trip crinkled his brows together. "Huh? Coconuts?"

"Nothing dear. Come here and go to sleep."

Jon pulled Trip's head down to his shoulder, wrapping his arms around Trip as Trip muttered. "I don't get it. Coconuts?"

XXX

It was 0330 when Jon slipped out of Trip's quarters. As he walked down the hall, Malcolm rounded a corner. Jon shot him a look that said "shut up" as Malcolm gave a wide grin but kept walking without saying a word.

Jon suddenly stopped in his tracks and thought for a second. _Malcolm's quarters aren't on this deck. Why is he...? Ohhh!_ Jon looked up and realized that Malcolm came from the direction of Hoshi Sato's quarters and put two and two together. "Good for you Malcolm. About damn time." He muttered to himself as he continued on to his own quarters.

Once in his quarters he opened up his messages. The top message was from Trip, as usual, and he chuckled. He didn't need to open it because it was the same message he'd get every morning since they'd been a couple, but opened it anyway. "_=X=_" was the only thing contained in the body of the message and only the two of them knew what it meant. He continued to look through the messages and saw one from Starfleet Command.

The Klingons had become more aggressive with their attacks on UE vessels in this sector and Enterprise was once again being called to supply support and escort to a cargo ship...Orion this time.

Jon wasn't fond of flying support and escort for any civilian ships, as it took the fun out of exploring, but he especially didn't like flying escort for the Orion. The facts were that the Orion's were not part of the UE council as of yet, but the United Earth bureaucrats were putting on a good show of trying to bring them in. There was, of course, Jon's personal dealings with the Orion's, all of which turned out to be bad experiences and he was pretty sure that the "cargo" were slaves and he _really_ didn't want anything to do with that. He thought about sending a message back, making some excuse that Enterprise couldn't fly cover for the cargo ship, but thought twice about it and sent back a reply that he would be "happy" to help.

Just as he hit the send button, Porthos scampered up to him whining. "What? You need to go for a walk? Ok. Come on."

Jon walked Porthos to the arboretum to do his business when someone gave Jon a good smack on his ass. Jon spun around, fist poised to strike when his eyes got wide. "Trip? Are you fucking nuts? You can't do that in public. What's wrong with you?"

"Relax Cap'n. No one's around. And yes I'm nuts...ain't you figured that out yet?" Trip gave him a grin.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Nothing. I'm not here and you didn't see me." Trip went over and pulled two carrots out of the container of dirt and put his finger to his lips. "Shhh."

"You? It's been you? Chef has been riding me for six months about someone stealing vegetables from the garden and this entire time it's been you?"

"Just don't tell...ok?"

Jon shook his head. "I can't help you if chef finds out and your fingers become part of Monday night's chili. Don't whine to me about it."

"Yeah yeah. I been snagging veggies for almost two years now and he ain't caught me yet."

"Uh-huh. And how do you get past the security cameras?"

"Engineers secret." Trip gave Jon a quick peck on the lips and headed for the door.

"You scare me sometimes Trip. I'm just glad you're on our side."

"Yep. See you later." He called over his shoulder.

Jon stood shaking his head trying to figure out how he ever got mixed up with a nutcase like Trip in the first place, but he had to admit, he was really falling hard for the guy.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Enterprise had met up with the Orion cargo ship and everything seemed to be going smooth for a while. The Captain of the Orion cargo ship had invited Jon and some of the other crew over for a meal and drinks as a "thank you" for the escort, but Jon turned down the offer and made it clear, in a roundabout way, that he had no interest in the two crews mingling with each other.

They were close to the planet that the cargo ship was destined for when two Klingon warships came out of warp on them. Enterprise laid down cover fire as the cargo ship made its escape. Two against one didn't seem fair to the Orion Captain, but having limited weapons, he couldn't do much other than accept Jon's order to make a run for it.

As Enterprise engaged the Klingons, the ship was taking on more damage than Jon was prepared for. Trip had just reached the bridge when he heard Malcolm call out. "Sir! Haul plating down to forty percent!"

"Did the Orion's make it?"

"Yes sir. They are in landing pattern at Matrion Base."

"Alright. Travis, let's get the hell out of here!"

"Aye sir." Travis called as he punched the ship into warp.

"Trip. What are the damages in engineering?"

"We got lucky this time. Just popped some relays. Nothing too serious." Trip said as he checked his bridge station.

"Sir. The Klingons are in pursuit." Malcolm called from his station.

"Damnit! Polarize haul plating. Let's get ready for round two."

"Uh. Cap'n. I mighta spoke too soon. We got a problem. A _big_ problem. The polarization matrix along starboard is damaged. We won't have any protection on that side of the ship."

Jon spun around to look at Trip. "Can it be fixed..._fast_?"

Trip swallowed hard. "Not from in here. I'd have to go for a walk."

"Malcolm. How long before the Klingons catch up to us?" Jon asked

"Five minutes...give or take."

Jon looked at Trip, he didn't like what he was thinking and wasn't sure if he should say it. Before Jon could ask the question out loud Trip answered it. "It'll take me about fifteen minutes to do the repairs."

"Shit. We're going to be sitting ducks here."

"No we won't. Just keep those sons of bitches off our starboard side while I'm out there."

"Trip no! I can't ask you to do something like that."

"What choice do we have? Look, the longer we stand here arguing about it, the closer the Klingons are getting."

Jon and Trip shared a look. No words needed to be spoken as they knew what the other was thinking and they nodded to each other. "Trip. Keep your comm channel open. Work fast and get your ass back inside...preferably in one piece."

"Aye sir." Trip said as he stepped into the lift.

XXX

Trip had once before been outside of a ship while in warp. He was tethered between the Columbia and the Enterprise making a ship-to-ship transfer. Last time he was fascinated by the beauty of the stars zooming past him and wished he had his camera. Today he had too much to think about, and in too much of a hurry to look around at the stars.

He reached the junction of the plating matrix that was damaged and opened the panel. Just as he reached for his tool kit he felt the ship under him lurch to the side and felt the hard hit. "Klingons catch us?" He asked into his comm mic, keeping his voice as calm as possible.

He heard Jon's voice come back to him. "Yep. Work fast Trip. I have you on view screen." More hits to the ship.

On the bridge, the view screen had a large image of the warships with a smaller image in the lower corner of Trip working. Jon shifted his attention between Trip and the Klingons. "Boost power to port plating. Keep those Klingons on our port side." Jon barked at Malcolm and Travis. "Malcolm, ready torpedoes."

"I can't do that sir. The Commander is too close to the torpedo tubes. The vibration alone could destabilize the magnetic field in his boots and knock him lose."

Jon heard Trip. "Oh shit." Jon turned to see Trip pulling a tether from his EV suit and latch it onto the haul. "Ok. I'm strapped down. Go with the torpedoes Mal." He felt the vibration as a torpedo was launched and thought his teeth might rattle out of his head as he continued to do his work. He looked up to see the underside of one of the warships pass over his head.

Jon yelled. "Travis! Keep them off of our starboard!"

"I'm trying sir. They figured out we don't want them over there. They're splitting off."

"Trip! How much longer?" Another hit to the ship knocked Jon off balance. He heard Trip's voice but didn't make out what he said. "Say again Commander."

"I said about two minutes! Keep your shirt on and those guys off of me!"

"It's getting too dangerous. Forget about it and get back inside. We'll just have to make a run for it."

"I'm almost done Cap'n."

Malcolm placed a well calculated hit of a torpedo, destroying one of the Klingon ships. Trip had a front row view of the fireworks display. "Cool. Nice work Mal." He made one final adjustment and felt the static charge of the haul plating becoming polarized. "Got it! Heading back now."

He had just unhooked his tether as he heard Jon's voice. "Travis? Where's the other ship?"

On the bridge Travis' eyes got wide. "I don't know. It just...disappeared."

"What? Malcolm?"

"I don't see them on sensors. Where the bloody hell are they?" Malcolm replied with confusion.

Trip's voice filled the bridge. "Found them. Oh fu-!" A blast to the starboard side sent the ship rocking.

Jon looked at the smaller view where Trip had been working and saw debris coming off the ship, scattering in different directions, and floating into open space. He jumped on the front edge of the armory platform facing Malcolm. "I want that ship dead! _NOW MR. REED!_"

"You and me both." Malcolm muttered as he set off a full barrage of phase fire and torpedoes destroying the second ship.

After the second ship was destroyed, Hoshi enlarged the smaller image on the screen. Every eye on the bridge was scanning for any sign of Trip. "Trip? Can you hear me? Trip? Do you copy?" Jon couldn't hide the panic in his voice. There was no response. He turned to T'Pol. "Anything on sensors?"

"There is too much debris. The sensors can't distinguish between a person and pieces of ship."

"How much air does he have left?"

"Assuming he survived the blast, and assuming that there isn't any damage to his EV suit, I would estimate four hours...as long as he doesn't panic and keep his breathing at a normal rate."

"T'Pol. I'll speak with you in my ready room."

In his ready room Jon asked. "Is he alive?"

T'Pol cocked her head to the side. "As I stated, the sensors-"

Jon cut her off. "Cut the bull T'Pol. Trip told me about this bond thing between the two of you. Can you sense if he's alive or not?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Ever since the two of you have...he keeps himself shielded from me. He's been doing it for so long now that he doesn't even realize he's doing it anymore. I honestly can't tell. I'm sorry Captain. I am surprised however that he told you."

"Of course he told me. We don't keep secrets from each other...well other than the ones I have to as Captain."

Jon made a quick plan. Analyzing the trajectory of debris from the starboard side, Jon and Hoshi would take one shuttle, while Malcolm and Travis take the other and run a grid search for Trip. T'Pol and the Enterprise would search the outer area.

"We have approximately four hours. One way or another...let's get him home." Jon announced over the comms as the shuttle bay doors opened and they headed out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Trip tumbled end over end. He hit the control button to activate the suit's thruster slowing his momentum. He stopped tumbling just in time to see the second warship getting blasted to bits. "Good job Malcolm."

He knew the suit's thrusters wasn't strong enough to get him back to the ship and it would expend too much of his oxygen reserve trying. He tapped the comm button. "Tucker to Enterprise." He didn't get a response. "Enterprise? Do you copy?" Still no response. "Well shit Trip. You really stuck your foot in it this time. How are you going to get yourself out of this mess?"

He looked around at the mixture of debris from the battle between Klingon and Enterprise and thought of somehow rearranging them to spell out SOS or a giant arrow pointing to him but quickly discarded those ideas since it would take too much time and resources.

He checked his heads up display and saw he had three hours twenty minutes of air left. "Ok Trip. Just don't panic, breathe normal, don't use up too much oxygen. Jon will come for you. Just stay calm and don't panic. Just stay quiet and don't use up your oxygen. Will you stop talking? Shut the fuck up already! Seriously Trip! Shut up! Ok. Ok. You're panicking. Clam down. See. Shuttles are launching. They're coming for you. Just stay calm."

He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down and checked his HUD again. Three hours fifteen minutes. He closed his eyes and waited in silence.

XXX

They had been searching for over an hour. Jon's eyes moving frantically as Hoshi watched him. She was good at picking up on cues and knew her Captain was on the verge of panic. "Don't worry sir, we'll find him." A grunt was her reply. "Sir, if you mind my saying...you're a bit more upset than I would expect you to be."

"Of course I'm upset ensign! I should've never let Trip go out there when we had Klingons on our asses like that! I don't know what I was thinking." He was fighting back the tears from the thought that when they did find him...it would be too late.

"You were thinking of your ship. The Commander knew the risks, as we all do. He did what he had to in order to save us all. Besides, if it were me out there, I know you would do everything in your power to find me."

Jon shook his head, as he whispered. "I shouldn't have let him go out there."

"You can't allow your personal feelings dictate whose lives to risk and who you protect."

Jon's face fell into shock at Hoshi's statement. "My personal feelings?"

"If I may be candid sir?"

"Go ahead ensign." He was a little afraid of what she might say but curious at what she may or may not know.

"Everyone knows that you and Trip are good friends...maybe...?"

"Maybe what Ensign?"

"Well...there are rumors"

"Is there now? And what exactly _are_ these rumors?"

"Well...the two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"Like you said, we're good friends. We share a lot of the same interests."

"Uh-huh." Hoshi wasn't too sure if she believed him, but thought it would be wise to let it drop. "We'll find him."

Jon wasn't ready to let it drop. "No ensign. It sounded like you were going somewhere with that. Let's hear it."

"Well...maybe it's just me, but I have been picking up on subtle things."

"Like?"

"Well...whenever the Commander walks onto the bridge, you have a tendency to sit up a little straighter. I've even seen you run your sleeve over your pips to give them a polish and you straighten out your uniform, sometimes you run your hand through your hair. You even make excuses to stand close to him."

"That doesn't mean anything." Jon hadn't realized he had been doing these things. Maybe on some subconscious level he was trying to make himself look good for Trip? He made a mental note to be more careful about that.

"Hey. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for someone being happy. Especially the Captain. Happy Captain, happy ship and all." She smiled.

Jon glared at Hoshi for a moment then turned the tables on her. "Soooo...what's going on with you and Malcolm?"

"Mal- uh the lieutenant? Nothing." Her cheeks turned pink.

"Uh-huh. And he just happened to be coming out of your quarters at 0330?"

Hoshi's cheeks became a bright red.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't let it interfere with your work."

"Yes sir. I mean no sir. I mean...it won't sir."

Jon chuckled. At least he felt slightly better. "Well...he's not here. Ready to move to the next section?"

XXX

Trip floated in his spot in space watching the shuttles making their grid searches. Once in a while he would try to hail but decided he was either too far away or the comm in the EV suit had been damaged. He checked his HUD. Twenty minutes of oxygen left. He watched the closest shuttle making a pass within the grid near him and concluded that by the time they got done with that grid, and moved on to the grid he was in, it would take over an hour. He shook his head.

He tapped a button. "Begin recording. This will be my last words. Mom, dad. I want to tell you how much I love you and say thank you for everything you've done for me in my life. I'm sorry I was such a pain in the ass growing up and yeah...the table thing at thanksgiving...I really don't know what I was thinking. Sorry about that. Hoshi. I know you love movies as much as I do so, my movie collection is yours. Thank you for lending an ear when I needed someone to listen to my whining. Malcolm. I know you've had your eye on that Klingon knife of mine for a while. It's yours. Just do me a favor...first Klingon you stab with it...send him my love. You've been a great friend...pain in the ass sometimes but, I really do treasure our friendship. Phlox. You've patched me up more times than I can count. Thank you for that. You're smile still freaks me out a little. Don't ever stop smiling." He watched the shuttle make another turn.

"Travis...boomer. Damn you're a good pilot! Just stick with Jon, I promise he'll take you on adventures you can only imagine. Always keep that child-like wonder of yours. Don't become too cynical and whatever you do..._don't_ go into your family's business...cargo ships are just too damn boring. T'Pol. T'hy'la. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, I'm just glad that we could remain good friends. You got me through some rough times and I have always been grateful for that. We've been through a lot together, as terrible as those moments were, I'm glad we had each other to lean on. Just always remember, it's ok to let a smile slip now and then. Please find someone that will make you happy...not Koss...don't ever go back to Koss. He's not right for you regardless what your logic says. No, you need someone you can have fun arguing with, someone that ruffles your feathers, but at the end of the day you still want them around. You have been my love, the mother of my child, and my best friend. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." His breathing became more labored and he checked his HUD. Eight minutes of air. The shuttle turned again.

"Jon. Oh my dear Jon. I know you too well. Don't blame yourself for this. Please don't. I volunteered to go out and fix the haul plating knowing full well the risk. Promise me you won't beat yourself up over this. When you think of me, only think about the happy times and all the fun we had together. When you feel like you're gonna cry, think of the jokes we played on each other and laugh. Laugh hard. Laugh until your sides bust. I'm so glad you came into my life and these past months...these were the best parts. Jon, I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner...I love you. I love you as my friend and I love you as my partner. It's getting hard to breathe so I'd better close this. Jon...always remember that I love you. End recording."

He heard the warning beep that his oxygen was almost depleted as he saw the shuttle turn another time. It was so close that he reached his hand out as if to grab hold of it when his world went dark.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

His eyes fluttered and slowly opened. He looked up and saw Jon standing over him. He crinkled his brows together, his voice raspy. "Am I dead?"

Jon smiled. "Not today Trip." Jon gave his hand a light squeeze.

"The shuttle. I saw the shuttle turning away. How?"

"Yeah. That was me and Hoshi. Just as we started our turn, Hoshi picked up the faint signal of your EV locator beacon. We got you on board just in time. You only had seconds of oxygen left. Phlox says you need to spend the night here but he's certain you'll be fine. I need to know, when you said you found that other Klingon ship...where did it come from?"

"You won't believe me, but seriously...it just came out of thin air. It was like it was invisible and then...poof! There it was."

"I think you are more oxygen deprived than Phlox realizes."

"No. I'm serious. It was invisible then it was there. I think they might have some sort of stealth technology or something."

"Ok. I'll send that in with my report. Starfleet will need to investigate that. Are you sure you wasn't just seeing things?"

"Jon. I'm telling you. I saw what I saw."

"Ok. We'll check into it."

Jon placed a data card in his hand. "What's this?" Trip asked.

"We found a recording in the suit. Thought you might want to keep it."

"Did you listen to it?"

"I figured it was the last words of a dying man. Since you're not dead...well." Jon shrugged. "I'm going to let you get some rest now and I'll be back later to see you. Ok?"

"Ok. Cap'n? Thanks for coming out to get me."

"I would've done it for any of my crew."

"I know. But thanks anyway."

"Sure Trip. Get some rest." He turned to leave. "Oh...Trip?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you came into my life too. I love you." Before Trip could say anything, he left.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

It had been a month since Trip's little journey in open space and they had discovered several things. On the professional front, the Klingons had gotten hold of an experimental cloaking technology that the Andorians had been working on. Starfleet and the UE council were not happy with the Andorians for keeping the technology a secret from them and the relationship had become strained.

On the personal front. They now knew that Malcolm, T'Pol, Hoshi and Phlox definitely knew about their relationship. It was 0330 and Trip was once again sneaking out of Jon's quarters. In the doorway he leaned in for a kiss. "Trip! What are you doing? Someone could come around the corner and see you. Now go on and get out of here."

Trip sighed. "Look. People already know and those that don't know for sure...well there's whispers."

"Yeah, I know. I've heard the whispers, but we agreed to be discreet."

"I know. All the sneaking around stuff was fun in the beginning but now..."

"I know. It's getting old."

"We're going to have to go public eventually, you know."

"Maybe. But not just yet. Movie tonight?"

"Sure. I guess. What's playing?"

Jon started to answer when Malcolm came around the corner. "On your way home lieutenant?" Jon grinned at him as he walked by.

"Hey. I don't ask about yours, don't ask about mine. Ok?" He huffed at them.

Jon and Trip raised their eyebrows at each other. Trip rushed towards Malcolm as he continued walking. "Oooh. Trouble in paradise buddy? Come on. You can tell your ol' friend."

Jon chuckled and shook his head as he went back into his quarters.

XXX

It had actually been a quiet day for a change and it gave Trip time to do the minor repairs he had been putting off. He had tried all morning to find out what the movie that was scheduled for the night was, but any time someone went to answer, they were interrupted. Even when he tried the computer, something would happen that would distract him. He finally gave up and decided to let it be a surprise.

He caught up with Malcolm in the mess at lunch. "So. What was your deal this morning?"

"Hoshi wants me to meet her parents."

"Is that all? What's the big deal?"

"It's kind of a big step don't you think? I mean... I don't think we're at that point yet."

"Jon's met my parents."

"Yeah. But that was years ago. Before... Do your parents know about your status?"

"Yes. I told them six months ago."

"And they still like him?"

"My mom wants to throw a party and my dad said, and I quote, "it's about damned time" end quote."

Malcolm started to laugh, holding his hand to his mouth to keep the food from spitting out. "Are you serious? Your dad said that?"

"Yeah. My dad's been trying to push us together since he first met Jon. Calls him son and everything. Guess he really likes Jon. So seriously. What's the big problem with meeting Hosh's parents? Can't be the "big step" thing like you said."

Malcolm put his fork down. "If I meet her parents, she's going to want to meet mine."

"So?"

"Let's just say me and my parents aren't on the best of terms and I really don't want to drag Hosh into that mess."

"Have you explained this to her?"

"No. What kind of a loser can't get along with their parents?"

"I don't know. I know several people that don't get along with their families and I don't think they're losers. Just explain it to her. Trust me, she'll understand. If nothing else, you'll meet her parents and they'll love you to death."

"What if they hate me?"

"Well...you're not sleeping with her parents...are you?"

"I guess you're right. Ok. I'll talk to her. Thanks Trip." Malcolm got up to leave.

"Anytime buddy."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Trip walked into the mess hall that was set up for movie night. He saw Jon and took the aisle chair next him. On the other side of Jon was T'Pol and behind them was Travis, Malcolm and Hoshi. He noticed that Malcolm and Hoshi were sitting next to each other and gave a smile. "You know, I never did find out what was playing."

Travis leaned forward. "Oh it's a classic. You're going to love it. _The Wizard of Oz_."

The color from Trip's face drained. "What? Oh hell no! I'm out of here!" He stood up.

"Sit down Trip." Jon said in a deadpan voice.

"You know how I feel about this movie. Nuh-uh! I'm gone."

"Sit down Commander. That's an order."

"But-"

"Sit."

Trip sat down but made it known he wasn't happy. Malcolm started to laugh. "What's wrong with the movie? It's a classic!"

"Trip is afraid of the flying monkeys." Jon informed him.

Travis, Malcolm and Hoshi all busted out laughing as Malcolm said between gasps of air. "You're afraid of the monkeys?"

"Hey! I'm not afraid of them. They just freak me out that's all."

"What's wrong with the monkeys?" Travis asked.

"They're monkeys! And they fly! Monkeys aren't supposed to fly! It just... freaks me out a little."

T'Pol cocked an eyebrow. "There is a planet close by that have flying primates."

"Oh! We are _SO_ going there! Travis, first thing in the morning, set course." Jon said chuckling.

"I ain't going down there." Trip crossed his arms.

"Yes you are."

"I'll AWOL."

"I'll hunt you down."

"You won't find me."

"Yes I will."

Trip stuck his tongue in his cheek and narrowed his eyes at Jon. "Yeah. I guess you would."

Jon put his finger to his lips. "Shh. The movie's starting."

When the part of the movie came that the wicked witch told the monkeys "_Fly! Fly my pretties! Fly!_" Trip put his hands over his face and coward in his chair. Jon put his arms around Trip's shoulders and pulled him in, enclosing him in an embrace. Trip snuggled his face into Jon's chest, holding tight to him.

Travis saw this and nudged Malcolm with his elbow and pointed at them with a questioning look.

Malcolm shrugged then leaned forward, poked Trip in the back of the neck and hollered. "Flying monkey got you!"

Trip jumped up screaming swatting at himself as other movie goers shushed at him. "That's it! I'm done! I'm out!" He headed for the door.

Jon stood up. "Trip!" He pointed a finger at a laughing Malcolm. "That was mean!" He followed Trip out, catching up to him in the hall and grabbed his arm to stop him. "Trip. Come on. It's just a movie."

"I ain't going back in there! You can't make me go back in!"

"Ok Trip. We don't need to go back in. Let's go have a drink and calm your nerves."

Trip's eyes were wide and he was breathing heavy. "Drink? Drink? Drink! Yeah! Drink! Drink is good. Let's have a drink!"

As they walked down the hall Jon laughed. "You know, I really don't get it. I mean you can sit up all night and watch horror films no problem, but monkeys?"

"They're monkeys! Monkeys don't fly! You know, I have half a mind to get Daniels' time travel thingamajig and go back, find the guy that thought up of flying monkeys and slap him."

Jon let out a roaring laugh as he keyed in his lock code to his quarters. Once inside he poured two glasses and handed one to Trip. Trip tossed back the drink fast and tilted his glass towards the bottle. Jon poured a second and watched as Trip downed that one then silently demanded a third. He eyed Trip. "You know, scotch is supposed to be savored."

"So I'll savor this one. Just pour."

Jon poured another drink in Trip's glass then set the bottle down before going to the couch. Trip picked the bottle up and took it over to the couch with him, setting it on the table as he flopped next to Jon, snuggling into the crook of his arm.

Jon looked at the bottle. "What? You trying to get drunk so I can take advantage of you?" He teased.

Trip grinned at him. "I don't need to be drunk for you to take advantage of me." He gave Jon a long, tongue filled kiss before pulling back. "So um...what was up with that PDA back there? You know we had a lot of eyes on us...right?"

"I know. Can't I comfort my boyfriend when he's distressed?"

Trip's eyebrows shot up. "_Boyfriend?_ So...we're putting a label on this now?"

Jon's eyes went down then back up with a sheepish look. "That's ok isn't it?"

Trip grinned at him. "Yeah. That's ok. You know this means we're public now."

"I know."

Trip leaned in and brushed his lips against Jon's as he whispered. "Say it again."

Jon smiled and whispered back against his lips. "Boyfriend."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** _This story I hope to show a lighter side of Starfleet, hopefully find a little humor in it. I also dabbled in a bit of a serious undertone._

**Chapter 19**

**I Have An Enterprise On My Ass!**

Today, they had been a couple for one year four months. The entire crew knew of their relationship and was supportive of it as no one had ever seen any sort of favoritism. In fact, five months ago, some of the crew had witnessed their Captain giving Trip a good chewing out and put him on report when he went against orders and gave a planet they visited a piece of technology. It was a food re-sequencesor that Trip gave to feed a village with children going hungry as a disputing faction was withholding food from them to force them into joining their sect. No one could really blame Trip for what he did and, even though Jon never voiced it publicly, he understood. But the facts remained that he had interfered in a culture war that was not their own and the planet wasn't as technologically advanced as they were.

Trip sulked about it for a few days and worried that it would affect their relationship. Jon had assured him that just because he did what he had to do as Captain, it held no bearing on the care and love he had for Trip. Trip promised that he wouldn't go against orders and, above all else, not put Jon in that position again. Jon cupped his face in his hands. "Oh sweetheart. I know your heart was in the right place and I know how much you hate to see people suffering, especially when children are involved. That's what makes me love you so much."

Starfleet Command caught wind of their relationship and put them both on the hot seat over it. Once the facts came out that they both did their duties as officers, keeping their personal and professional lives separate, Command decided that they would turn a blind eye.

Today seemed to be going especially well for Jon, he wasn't sure why, but he just simply felt...happier. As he turned the corner towards his dining mess he saw Malcolm standing in front of the door. "Malcolm? Something I can do for you?"

"Sorry sir. You can't go in there."

Suddenly Jon's good mood vanished. "Excuse me?"

"Commander Tucker says there's a methane leak in the Captain's mess. He's in there now getting it under control, but your dining room is off limits until morning. He's asked me to stand out here to make sure no one goes in."

Jon started to reach for the comm panel on the wall when Malcolm pushed his arm out of the way. "Uh...the Commander said that the slightest spark could ignite the gas and that there shouldn't be any communication to him either. To use his words 'I'll end up a crispy critter'."

"Well...we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"I should say not sir."

"Guess I'll have dinner in the crew mess then. Tell Trip to contact me as soon as he's done. I don't care what time it is."

"Uh...the Commander already took care of dinner for you sir. He asked chef to take it to your quarters."

"Did he now? Well...whatever. Tell him to call me."

"Yes sir." Malcolm waited until Jon was out of sight when he pushed the button on the comm channel. "Reed to Commander Tucker."

"Tucker here."

"He's on his way. I better not get into any trouble over this."

"Don't worry Mal. What I have planned, there's no way in hell Cap'n gonna be mad at you. I owe you."

"Yes you do. Reed out."

The door to Jon's quarters slid open and he stood in shock at what he saw. The lights were dim, there was soft music playing, candlelight throughout the room and Trip standing next to a small table in the center. Jon looked confused as he shoved a thumb over his shoulder. "I thought you were..." Jon walked through the door and smiled at the realization. "There is no methane gas leak, is there?"

"Nope." Trip grinned as he pulled out a chair and gestured for Jon to sit.

"What's all this?" He asked as he started to sit down.

Trip explained as he set down two covered plates. "I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate having you in my life." He poured red wine into the two glasses on the table.

"I appreciate having you in my life too, Trip."

"Good to know."

"So. What's for dinner?"

Trip pulled the cloche from Jon's plate. "Beef bourguignon with wild mushrooms and pearl onions, herb roasted carrots, buttered white asparagus and for dessert, chocolate raspberry mousse."

"Mmm. Chocolate raspberry mousse. My favorite."

Once Trip sat down opposite Jon, he raised his glass. "Here's to a wonderful year and four months, and too many more wonderful years."

"Indeed, my sweet." They clinked their glasses to the toast and each took a sip of wine.

Trip unfolded his napkin onto his lap. "Well, dig in."

Jon took a bite of the beef. "Mmm. Chef really outdid himself this time."

"I'm glad you like it. Chef didn't cook though." He gave Jon a smirk.

"You? You cooked this?"

"Uh-huh."

"Ok...you used the food re-sequencesor, right?"

"Nope. All from scratch."

"Damn Trip. I know you make a hell of a clam linguine, but this? I'm impressed. Maybe I need to put you in the kitchen and chef in engineering."

"Hey now! Don't you even_ think_ about letting chef near my engine."

XXX

Jon closed his eyes and savored the last bite of his mousse, smiling. "That was a wonderful meal Trip. Thank you."

"There is one other thing though."

Jon put his hands up. "No Trip. I couldn't eat another bite. I'll bust!"

Trip smiled at him and took his hand. "No. Not that. It's just that I care so much for you. Our friendship over the years has been so great and this past year has been...spectacular. Jon, I can't imagine a time without you in my life."

"It's been spectacular for me as well. I've been happier this past year than I have ever been."

"I'm so glad to hear that." Trip blew out a breath and stood up, still holding Jon's hand. Jon looked at him confused as he watched Trip making his way around the table.

"Jonathan Archer..." Trip got down on one knee in front of him as Jon's eyes got wide. "...will you marry me?"

Jon's head started to bob with his mouth gaping in shock. "Guh-huh."

Trip lightly chuckled and smiled. "Was that a yes?"

Jon's head continued to bob. "Y-yeah. Yes. Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"

Trip smiled wide, raised up and planted a deep kiss on Jon's lips. Jon leaned in, falling from his chair, knocking Trip over. They laid on the floor, Jon on top of Trip, kissing and giggling. "I love you Trip."

"I love you too. You make me so happy."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Trip and Malcolm were in the shuttle bay working on some calibrations to one of the shuttle pods. "So. How did your evening go?" Malcolm asked.

Trip grinned at him. "It was wonderful. Malcolm, I got to tell you...last night I-"

Malcolm cut him off. "Hold on Commander. I don't need to hear about you and the Captain's sex life."

Trip shot him a look. "Good. Because I don't talk about that stuff. No, what I was going to say is, last night I asked him to marry me."

Malcolm looked at Trip, mouth gaping. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What did he say?"

"He said yes! You doof."

"That's great! Congratulations Commander!" Malcolm grinned and shook his hand. "So when's the big day?"

"Well...we haven't set a date yet, but we both said soon. Which brings me to another point."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Well...I wanted to ask you...will you stand with me? Be my best man?"

"Me? You want me to be your best man?"

"Well yeah. I mean...next to Jon, you are my best friend."

"I'd be honored sir. Thank you. So, you still going to call the Captain, "Cap'n" or just Jon?"

"Of course I'll call him Cap'n. He's still my commanding officer after all." Trip looked at Malcolm out the corner of his eye and got a mischievous thought. "Besides, it really turns him on when I call him Cap'n."

"Ugh! I don't need to know that!"

Trip started laughing. "Yeah. And if I really want to get him going... I call him Admiral."

"Trip! Shut the bloody hell up! I don't want to hear this!"

Trip was in a full blown laughing rage. "Relax Mal. I'm just messing with you."

"I know but still... Yuck! But seriously, is he taking your name or are you taking his? Or a hyphenated thing?"

"None of the above. We're keeping our own names. Less confusing that way."

Jon walked into the shuttle bay. "Trip? How much longer will it take for you finish up there?"

"About ten minutes." He saw the look on Jon's face. Something serious was happening. "What's going on Cap'n?"

"I need to see you and T'Pol in my ready room. Fifteen minutes be enough time?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"In my ready room."

"Ok Cap'n. See you in fifteen."

Jon started to leave when he heard Malcolm. "Captain. Let me be the first to congratulate you."

Jon turned around and saw Malcolm standing with his hand out. "Congratulate me on what?"

"Uh...your engagement?"

Jon's eyes got wide as he looked at Trip. "You told him!? Trip! I thought we agreed to make a formal announcement."

"I had to tell someone, I was gonna bust if I didn't. Besides...I had to ask him to be my best man."

"Who else did you tell?"

"No one. I swear."

"Well...just keep quiet about it. Both of you. That's an order! Ready room. Fifteen."

"Aye sir. Fifteen."

After Jon left Malcolm turned to Trip. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"Yeah...I guess I forgot to tell you that part. Don't sweat it. Just don't say anything about it...not even to Hoshi. This formal announcement thing is kinda important to him."

"My lips are sealed sir."

"Good. Think you can finish up on your own so I can get cleaned up before going to this meeting?"

"Sure, no problem. Go ahead."

XXX

In his ready room Jon explained to Trip and T'Pol. "The Lexington came across a nebula a couple weeks ago. They took preliminary scans but didn't have time to get a good look at it. It seems to be a considerable size and Starfleet has ordered Enterprise to run a full report on it. They want it charted, analyzed and fully explored. The only thing we know about it for sure is that the electro-magnetic compounds of the nebula will result in lack of communication. Starfleet estimates it will takes us eight months to get all the readings they want for our report."

"We'll be out of contact with Starfleet...and our families for eight months?" Trip asked sounding a little concerned.

"Unfortunately, yes. We'll be entering the nebula tomorrow afternoon. I need the two of you to come up with a plan so that every member of the crew can have the opportunity to contact their loved ones, let them know what's going on and to expect that they won't hear from them for a while."

Trip nodded. "That shouldn't be too hard. We'll have to limit comm time and take turns so that we don't overload the system and give everyone a chance. We can draw lots to schedule times."

"Good. There is one other thing. Since we won't be in contact, Starfleet has decided that we take on an additional passenger. Admiral Takei will be joining us."

"An admiral? For eight months? Can I request a transfer?" Trip groaned.

"Transfer denied Trip. I don't see a problem with an Admiral being on board."

"Are you kidding me? I can't stand at attention for eight minutes, let alone eight _months_!"

Jon chuckled. "Don't worry Trip, you'll be fine. I don't know this Admiral Takei personally, but what I've heard he's an easy going kind of guy."

"Yeah, but an Admiral on Enterprise? Still..."

"You'll survive." Jon said sarcastically. "The Admiral will be here in less than two hours. You two have your assignment. Get the times set up and lots made. I'll have the crew assemble in bay one to make the announcement at 1300. Until then, keep this to yourselves. We don't want a rush on the comms by people trying to get extra time in. Anything else we should cover?"

"Uh. Cap'n. One thing. We are scheduled for routine maintenance in three months. I should contact SEC to reschedule."

"Granted. T'Pol, do you need to contact the Vulcan high command for any reason?"

"I'm sure Soval is aware of our mission. If there is a need for the high command to have any information, he will contact them. Of course they will want a report from me upon our return."

"Of course they will." Jon said blandly. "Ok, if that's all...dismissed."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The crew was assembled in the cargo bay. Admiral Takei, Jon, Trip and T'Pol stood on the catwalk above them as Jon made the announcement. There were gasps and murmurs among the crew. Most contained concern and disappointment of not being able to speak with their families for the long period of time.

Jon held up a hand. "Ok people, settle down. Everyone will get a chance to call home before we go in. Commanders Tucker and T'Pol will be going around for you all to draw lots. You will have ten minutes of comm time. If for any reason you aren't able to reach your family at your scheduled time, get with one of them to make arrangements for another time slot. I will do everything I can to make sure each of you gets to talk to your loved ones."

This seemed to settle most of the crew as Jon saw nods of approval. There were still some that weren't too happy with the situation, which could be understood, but accepted it as part of ship life.

Once the commotion settled, Jon continued. "There is one more announcement I'd like to make. Last night Trip and-"

Trip grabbed his arm, interrupting him. "Now? You're doing this now?"

Admiral Takei leaned over. "Is there a problem Captain?" The lanky Asian Admiral asked in his deep, gravelly voice.

Jon looked over his shoulder at the Admiral. "No sir. No problem. Just give me a second?" Takei nodded and he turned back to Trip. "We have the entire crew here. Can you think of a better time?"

Trip shrugged a shoulder. "No, not really. Alright then, let's do this."

Jon turned back to the crew. "As I was saying before being rudely interrupted." He shoot a sideways glace at Trip while smiling. There were chuckles coming from the crowd. "You all know of my relationship with Trip. Well...last night we made a life altering decision." Jon got a wide grin a quickly proclaimed. "We're getting married!"

The crowd erupted into claps, cheers and shouts of congratulations. Jon and Trip stood looking at each other with grins and love. Admiral Takei gave a nudge at the Captain. "Go ahead and kiss your fiance, Captain."

Jon pulled Trip in and gave him a deep kiss that generated louder cheers from the crowd. The kiss was broken when they heard someone shout. "When's the wedding?"

Jon turned and chuckled. "We haven't set a date yet."

Trip grinned. "But soon. Very soon." He turned and looked at Jon, the smile fading from him as he saw the look on Jon's face. "What? What's wrong?"

"Trip, we both said soon before we knew about this mission. I'm sorry honey, we're going to have to wait."

Trip's shoulders slumped. "You're saying a year? Why?"

"Darling, you know that on a ship a Captain performs the ceremony. I can't say the rites for myself. We're just going to have to wait. I'm sorry."

They both became suddenly aware of how quiet everyone had gotten when Admiral Takei cleared his throat. "An Admiral can perform the rites you know."

Jon turned with wide eyes. "Admiral? You would be willing?"

"It would be my honor. Just say when."

Jon looked at Trip. "What do you say?"

"You mean now? This second?"

"Oh hell no. Chef would strangle us both if he didn't have time to prepare a full meal, proper with a wedding cake."

"Yeah. You're right. Ok, so when?"

Jon's face brightened as an idea came to him. "What about inside the nebula?"

Trip liked the idea as he started to smile. "Hey yeah. I love it. We'll be the first humans...first any species maybe to get married _inside_ of a nebula. Oh! And think of the backdrop for the wedding pictures!"

"Ok. Now that we have that established..."

"What about halfway through?"

"I love it!" Jon turned to face the crowd. "I guess we just set a date. Four months from now. Halfway point in the nebula."

"And you're all invited!" Trip called out as more cheers erupted.

"Let's see the engagement ring!" Hoshi called out.

"Men don't wear engagement rings, Hosh. Stop it." Trip rolled his eyes at her.

"No, yeah. Where is my engagement ring, Trip? Did you cheap out on me? I feel jiped."

"Seriously? You want an engagement ring? Alright then."

Jon laughed. "No Trip. I'm just screwing with you. You don't need to get me an engagement ring."

"No, no. If my sugar pie wants an engagement ring...he'll have one." Trip grinned. (His southern twang was overly thick when he said the words "sugar pie")

Jon knew that when Trip used these types of terms of endearment, it meant that he was poking fun at him, but he went on anyway. "Seriously Trip, I was just messing with you."

XXX

As Trip and T'Pol circulated through the crowd with their buckets of lots, Trip got pats on his back, handshakes and congrats for his engagement. As they finished with the lots, Trip saw that there was still one piece of paper in his bucket. "Who didn't get a lot number? Come on. Somebody didn't get a lot...speak up."

"Did you forget to get one for yourself commander?" One of his engineers called while laughing.

"Yeah Thomas. I got one. Got yours in fact." Trip called back to him. "Come on, seriously...who didn't get one?"

Everyone looked around but no one spoke up. "T'Pol? Did you get one?" Trip asked.

"Yes. I have number sixty-two."

"Well somebody didn't..." It suddenly dawned on Trip. "Cap'n? Did you pull a lot number?"

"I don't need to pull one Trip. Anyone I need to talk to is in Starfleet Command. Just toss it in the air and whoever catches it can have my time."

"No. That's not fair. This is your lot then. I'm sure there's someone you should call."

"The only person I have is an aunt that I haven't spoken to since I was a kid and some cousins I never met."

"Yeah? Well I know a couple of people you_ need_ to talk to. My mom and dad will want a word with you."

Jon looked horrified. Trip's parents knew of their relationship and were overjoyed last time they were on Earth when Trip dragged him to Mississippi. But now that they were engaged...he wasn't too sure how his parents would react. "Maybe we should talk to them together."

"Nope. Nuh-huh. You gotta talk to daddy on your own. Sorry...Tucker rule."

Jon groaned as he grabbed at the lot. "Number fourteen."

Trip laughed. "Oh shit Jon! You get to be the one to break the news...good luck." He gave Jon a slap on the back.

"What number did you get?"

"Twenty-seven."

"Trade with me."

"Nope."

"Come on."

"No. You call mom and dad first. It'll be fine. They love you and will be so happy to hear the news. Trust me."

Jon never admitted it to Trip, but he was a little afraid of his father, he never really knew why. Mr. Tucker was always nice to Jon and made him feel like family. Maybe it was just because Charles II was such a big man with a booming voice that intimidated him a little. Maybe it was the fact that when he asked Trip to be his chief engineer, Charles II told him to "take care of my boy" with a lace of threat behind it. Whatever it was...he was not looking forward to having to be the one to tell Trip's parents that they were getting married in four months. "What's your father going to say to me?"

"I don't know. You know daddy. He's gonna say what he's gonna say."

XXX

It was Jon's turn to make a call. When the image of Trip's mother came on the view screen, her smile faded. When she saw that it was a call from Enterprise she expected to see her son on the other end and not the Captain. Her thoughts were suddenly filled with horror. "Oh God! Something happened to Trip! Charles come here! It's Jon! Something's happened."

"No, no. Trip is fine." He saw Charles II sitting down as he continued. "Nothing's happened. Well...something happened, but-"

"What happened to our boy?" Mr. Tucker demanded in his booming voice.

Jon stiffened. "Nothing sir. Trip is fine...really. He'll be calling you shortly. Look, I don't have a lot of time to talk, Trip will give you the details when it's his turn to call. It's-"

"His turn to call? Jon what's going on?" Mrs. Tucker asked concerned.

"We're going into a nebula for eight months. We'll be out of contact during that time. Everyone is getting the chance to call home before we go in. I only have a few minutes, so I have to make this brief. Trip-"

Trip's mother scoffed. "You're the Captain. You can take as much time as you want."

"Mrs. Tucker, everyone gets the same amount of time. It wouldn't be fair for me to use my position for extra time. Can I just tell you what's going on?"

"Who's stopping you? Talk already." Mrs. Tucker said.

Jon shook his head and took a hard swallow. "Trip and I are getting married."

"Oh that's wonderful! We'll get the church booked and we'll have the reception here. We'll have the entire Tucker clan over. Everybody can bring a dish for the meal! It's gonna be one hell of a shindig! You invite whoever you want, there's plenty of room. Oh, and we'll have to get Reverend Shultz from Florida to officiate. That was Trip's Reverend growing up, you know. We'll need extra tables and chairs, and then..." Trip's mother started in excitedly.

"Mrs. Tucker... Mrs. Tucker... Mrs. Tucker!" Jon tried to get a word in while she went on.

"What dear? What is it?"

"We're getting married in four months...inside the nebula."

"What!? You mean I won't get to see my baby getting married? Jon how could you!?"

Jon felt a knot in his stomach and looked at Trip's father who was scowling back at him. "I didn't say that. Hold on. I think I have an idea. I only have a few minutes, so let me talk fast..."

Later, after Trip made his call to his parents he went to the bridge. "Jon! What the hell did you _do_!?"

Jon looked at Trip. "What?"

"You promised my parents we'd have a second ceremony when we got back to Earth?"

"Your mother was pretty upset that she wouldn't see you getting married so...yeah. I said we'd do a second ceremony for them. Something small, just the family and a few friends."

"Do you _know_ my parents? Tucker's don't do anything 'small'. Oh Jon! You really don't know what you did, do you?" Trip groaned.

XXX

They all stood and watched the main view screen as Enterprise got close to the edge of the nebula. "Here we go." Jon said with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Trip reached over and took Jon's hand as he watch the screen. The Admiral eyed Trip but didn't say anything. Just as the bow of the ship broke into the nebula, Jon felt Trip pulling his hand slightly up and a small push on his ring finger as something was being slid on it. He looked down and saw a thin gold band with a small diamond embedded into it. "You wanted an engagement ring. There you go." Trip grinned at him.

Jon held his hand out, looking at the ring. "It's nice Trip. I really was just messing with you though."

"I know but..." Trip shrugged.

Admiral Takei looked over Jon's shoulder at the ring. "Oh my. Very lovely." And smiled at both of them.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

_Captain's Personal Log:_

_We have been in the nebula three months now. The entire crew is getting bored and restless. The only view out of any window is the swirling colors and occasional lightning strikes from the electro-magnetic field. It was quite a stunning display the first month, but grew old fast. Most of the crew have taken up the habit of leaving their window covers down. Even I have to admit my window cover is down most of the time._

_Trip took a more artistic approach at covering his window. The picture he has of a scuba diver? He had it enlarged to cover the window. I've seen that picture in his quarters for years and never really paid too much attention to it. I always assumed it was a picture of himself. While lying in his bed one night I looked at it closer _(Hechuckled)._ Damned if it wasn't a picture of _me_! It was my first dive when Trip taught me how. We were off the coast of Florida and I remember how mesmerized I was at the beauty of the coral wreath. All these years he had a framed picture of me scuba diving in his quarters. Guess he really did have it bad for me. Ah well...it all worked out in the end._

_On the up side, our wedding is in one month. The crew is busying themselves getting things ready. Hoshi and some of her girlfriends are making the decorations. She even somehow suckered T'Pol into helping. How she did that I'll never know._

_The boredom has gotten to Trip the worst. His father warned me, but I didn't know it was this bad. Trip has a funny mind, always moving. When he gets bored is when he gets into trouble the most. I discovered that I have to keep a close eye on him. About a month into this mission, I found him in the shuttle bay tearing apart one of the shuttle pods! Thank God I caught him before he had it completely disassembled to its last bolt._

_The Admiral is working on some surprise wedding gift for us on D deck. Trip and I have both been banned from going onto that deck and the rest of the crew are sworn to secrecy. I don't have a problem with it, being the upstanding Starfleet officer and all _(he made a fake cough)_ but Trip...? Well, he's been doing everything he can to sneak onto D deck. I don't think he's really trying to ruin the surprise...he loves surprises. No, I think he's just trying to give himself something to do and to see if he can do it._

_It's giving something for Malcolm to do as well. I think Malcolm is having some fun chasing Trip around. He confided in me that Trip is keeping him on his toes and keeping his training sharp. _(Jon laughed)_. Malcolm even threw Trip into the brig last week as "punishment." Hate to admit, I was a little happy to have a quiet night to myself. Trip's awful harmonica playing is getting on my nerves...and poor Porthos' ears. The poor guy howls so loud, I worry that people on the bridge can hear him howling. I swear I'm going to take that harmonica and toss it into the garbage recycling chute. What's the point? Trip will just fabricate another one. Maybe I'll pull out my guitar one of these days and have a jam session with him._

_The guys want to throw bachelor parties for both me and Trip. My party is tonight and Trip's is next week. I wonder if I can talk T'Pol into doing a striptease for me _(another chuckle)_ maybe a lap dance. What? I'm getting married, not buried. Naw. I'm sure whatever the guys have planned will be tame. Probably some poker and a few drinks then bed by 2200._

_End log._

XXX

Jon woke up in one of the shuttle pods with a splitting headache and stripped down to his boxers. He looked around the pod for his clothes but didn't see them. Memories of the night before came back to him in clips.

Admiral Takei, Travis, Phlox and Malcolm were in the closed off recreation room playing poker and drinking. The next clip he remembered was somebody had popped in a porno disk. Oh good God! Did they _really_ watch a porno film with the Admiral? Then he remembered it was the Admiral that had popped the disk in. Jesus!

The next clip of memory was three young ensign women coming in the room with music playing. Jon got his striptease and lap dance from a curvy blonde ensign and she commented on how impressed she was at the size of his hardness. "Too bad you're taken, Captain. I would _love_ to take that on for a night." How the hell he got in a shuttle with nothing more than his boxers and missing clothes, he didn't know.

He sat up and felt a sharp sting on his right butt cheek. He looked to see what he was sitting on, but there wasn't anything there. He steeled himself for a moment and opened the hatch of the pod.

As he walked down the hallway, he kept his front covered with his hands as some of the passing crew gave him funny looks. A few snickered as they walked pass. Every now and then he reached around and gave his butt cheek a rub wondering why it hurt. What had he done?

He walked into his quarters and was surprised at what happened next. "What the fuck!" He started floating up to the ceiling, where all of his possessions now resided. "Are you kidding me? What the hell?" He pushed off and got himself to the comm control panel. "Archer to Commander Tucker." He huffed.

"Trip here."

"Why is the gravity control to my quarters down?"

"It is? Hold on. Everything is showing normal here Cap'n."

"Ha ha. Quit screwing around and get my gravity back on line."

He heard Trip laughing. "Cap'n I swear I had nothing to do with it. I'm on my way up. Just sit...uh float tight. Tucker out."

"I'm going to kill somebody." He had a sudden realization. "Porthos? Hey boy where are you? Porthos." He didn't see or hear him. He started to pull himself around the room looking for Porthos but the pup wasn't anywhere around and Jon just hoped that whoever pulled this prank took Porthos for safe keeping.

Trip opened the door to Jon's cabin. Staying outside, he looked in and up. "Yep. I'd say your gravity is off line."

"Trip! I'm going to kill you! Where's Porthos?"

Trip held up his hands. "I'm tell'n you it wasn't me. I swear! I don't know what happened or who did it."

"Just get me down from here and get my gravity on line."

"Ok. Just keep your shirt...uh...boxers on. Push off and grab my hand." Trip held out his hand for Jon.

As Jon grabbed Trip's hand and was pulled out into the hallway, Admiral Takei came over to them. "What do we have here?"

Jon glanced into his quarters as Trip pulled the control panel off to do his work. "Sorry about this Admiral. I know it's not professional and I whole heartily apologize. It seems someone decided it would be a good idea to pull a prank on their Captain."

"It wasn't me!" Trip called as he worked. Suddenly everything in Jon's room came down with a crash.

"Son of a bitch! Trip! You couldn't have done that more gently?"

"Sorry Cap'n."

The Admiral looked inside. "Good thing your dog wasn't in there."

Jon blinked at the Admiral. "How did you know Porthos wasn't in there?"

"Because he's in my quarters...along with your clothes. You have a very sweet dog. Maybe I should think about getting one like him."

Jon and Trip both gave him a stunned look. "You Admiral? You did this?" Jon asked not believing it.

"Well...I did the gravity thing. Your friends carried you to the shuttle, stripped you down and took your clothes."

Trip busted out laughing as Jon looked at him. "Yeah...wait until next week when it's your turn."

"Oh! I can't wait to see what the guys have planned for me!"

"Should I bring Porthos to you now?" Takei asked.

Jon looked at the clutter that is now his quarters. "If you wouldn't mind Admiral, I'll come by to collect him when I get this mess cleaned up."

"Not at all Captain. I'm having fun with the little guy around." He walked away grinning at his prank.

"Ok. So having an Admiral around isn't so bad after all. Can we keep him?" Trip grinned.

"Just help me get this mess cleaned up." Jon said as he went back into his quarters. He rubbed at his butt cheek. "Uh...Trip. My ass hurts."

"Huh? What did you do?"

"I don't know. Can you take a look for me?"

Trip carefully pulled down Jon's boxers. "Oh. My. God! You didn't!" He poked his finger on the spot of cheek that had been bothering Jon.

"OW! What? What is it? What's wrong?"

Trip started laughing. "You got a fucking tattoo!"

"_WHAT_! No! What?" Jon looked over his shoulder, spinning in circles trying to see it while Trip laughed at the sight. "What is it? What's the tattoo?"

"I don't know who's gonna love it more...you or me. It's a tat of the Enterprise!"

"You got to be kidding me."

Trip felt himself getting hard as he looked at Jon strangely. "Trip? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ok. This is going to sound weird but...I've had this fantasy of Enterprise being a woman so I can fuck the hell out of her."

"You're right Trip...that is weird...and very sick. You haven't...anywhere...have you?"

"No. But I have jerked off to the thought."

Jon scrunched his face in disgust and disbelief. "Oh Trip. That's just sick."

"Like you don't jerk off?"

"Not while thinking about my ship!"

"Yeah, whatever. Come here." Trip growled as he pushed Jon to his knees and stripped off his clothes. He positioned himself behind Jon and looked down at the tattoo before entering him hard forgoing any foreplay or lube.

Jon let out a groan and bucked his hips into Trip taking him in deeper. They both grunted and moaned as they bucked their hips into one another. Jon had never seen Trip act this way. He was fucking him with a furious fire, hard and fast. Normally, Jon didn't care too much for aggressive sex, but when it was, he preferred to be the aggressor. This time seemed different and Jon liked it. "Yes! Harder!" Jon cried out.

Trip reached around and took Jon in his hand stroking him hard until Jon couldn't take it anymore and released himself onto the floor. Trip bucked a few more times and Jon heard him cry out. "Oh God! Enterprise! Fuck!" He felt Trip's release in him and the loud moan of a man orgasming with the fierceness like he's never heard before.

They collapsed sideways among the clutter on the floor. Trip swung his leg over Jon, staying in him. Jon could feel the hard breathing of Trip's pants on his back. "That was...so...yeah. Fuck that was great!" Trip said between pants. He felt like he wasn't done and started again taking Jon while laying on their sides this time. Trip pulled out just in time, finishing himself off as Jon felt the hot liquid splashing on his back.

Jon rolled onto his back and Trip could see that he had been stroking himself. "Trip! I'm about to...take me!"

Trip wrapped his mouth around Jon, sucking on him as the thick, warm liquid trickled down his throat and Jon let out a groan. "Oh. God! Trip!"

They both felt very satisfied as they laid panting. Jon reached over and gave Trip a slight backhanded slap on his chest. "Trip. You getting off at the thought of fucking Enterprise is disturbing and twisted...but damn if that wasn't great."

"Guh-huh. You ready to get this place cleaned up now?"

"In a minute. I need to stop shaking first."

XXX

The following week was Trip's turn for a party. He got pretty much the same treatment. Poker, drinks, and a lap dance.

He woke the next morning, relieved that he was in his quarters, gravity intact. He stumbled into his shower. Halfway through his shower he looked down and saw that something was wrong...very wrong.

Trip stormed onto the bridge, hair dripping with water, where he met shocked gazes and dropped jaws. "Which one of you did it!?"

Jon busted out laughing and the Admiral laughed so hard he doubled over.

"It's not funny! I'm..._BLUE!"_

"Just put some antennae on top of your head and call yourself Andorian!" Takei laughed.

"You did this Admiral?"

"Not me...but I wish I thought of it."

"Ok. Which one of you guys did it? Somebody's gonna get an ass kicking."

"Relax Commander." Travis laughed. "Just take another shower and it'll wash right off."

"It better! I can't get married being blue!"

Jon stopped laughing and got very serious. "Oh Travis...that better wash off. If I have to postpone my wedding...you're going out an airlock."

"Don't worry Captain. I've done this before...the first shower is rigged with the color, the next shower will wash it right off."

Trip rubbed his butt cheek. "Ok. But tell me this. Who's the damn artist?"

"Oh Trip! You too? No. Not that beautiful ass of yours!" Jon groaned.

"'Fraid so Cap'n. We got matching tattoos. I got an Enterprise on my ass."

Jon opened his mouth to say something but Trip cut him off fast. "Hey! That's between you and me. Keep it that way."

Jon put his hands up defensively. "Ok. You're right. Between us. So yeah...who is the artist anyway?"

Takei cleared his throat. "Before Starfleet...I wanted to be a tattoo artist. I still draw, but only on paper. Had fun doing it on skin. You're welcome."

Jon looked at Takei and blinked with mouth gaping. "Admiral...I have to say...you're the craziest fun Admiral I ever met. Can we keep you?"

Trip busted out laughing.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

He placed the ring on Jon's finger. Admiral Takei smiled widely. "With the powers bestowed upon me by Starfleet Command. I happily pronounce you married."

Jon and Trip smiled at each other, waiting. They gave a look at the Admiral. "You have permission to celebrate."

They kissed as cheers erupted and confetti tossed. Pictures were taken of the happy couple in front of one of the windows, using the nebula for the backdrop. They danced the couples dance, then cut into the cake, feeding a piece to each other. Trip sucked some frosting off his thumb. "Mmm. Good cake."

They sat at the large table, shared by Admiral Takei, Phlox, T'Pol, Malcolm, Hoshi, and Travis. T'Pol spoke up. "I don't understand some of these human wedding rituals. Why do you throw confetti?"

"Well...traditionally it's rice. It's supposed to be good luck, but I'm not cleaning up a room full of rice stomped into the carpet. The confetti will be bad enough." Trip informed her.

"And feeding cake to each other...with your fingers?" She sounded a little disgusted by that.

Trip shrugged. "I don't know. More good luck I guess."

Phlox cleared his throat. "Actually Commander, if you don't mind, I did some research on wedding traditions. I found that the Earth tradition of feeding cake started out, originally as the groom would smash the cake over the bride's head. The unmarried guest in attendance would scurry around, picking pieces of cake off of the bride's gown, eating it. This was to bring luck to the unmarried that they would find a mate and marry within the year. At some point, the tradition was changed to the couple feeding themselves a piece of the cake to show that they would take care of one another...keeping each other fed as it were. Hmmm."

"Really? I never knew that. How interesting." Jon said.

Malcolm chuckled. "Well, it would be kind of hard to do the cake smashing thing here."

Jon looked at Malcolm. "Oh? Why do you say that?"

He smiled waving his fork between the two. "Which one is the bride?"

Jon rolled his eyes. "Malcolm...no."

Trip started to take a bite of cake then stopped halfway to his mouth. Putting down his fork, he turned to Jon. "You even _think_ about smashing a cake over my head...I'll bend your teeth back."

Jon's brows shot up and he chuckled. "And that ladies and gentlemen is how the tradition ended."

Everyone at the table laughed except T'Pol, who held her glass in front of her mouth. Trip suspected that she may have been chuckling but didn't say anything. "Well...that's not as bad as what the Pakled do." Phlox stated.

"Yeah? What's that? Throw rocks at each other?" Trip chuckled.

"No. That's Klingons. The Pakled cuts off their mate's distal phalanx. That's the tip of the pinky finger."

Jon and Trip looked at each other horrified. "Glad that's not our tradition." Trip said sounding sick.

"You and me both." Jon agreed.

Trip looked at Phlox. "Ugh! Why?"

Phlox started to answer when one of the female crew screamed, pointing out of a window. Everyone jumped up and rushed to the window to see what was going on. Jon and Trip pushed their way through the crowd when they saw what looked like a gigantic man outside the ship.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The alert siren was blaring when the senior staff and Admiral reached the bridge. "Malcolm. Shut that damned thing off!" Jon called. "T'Pol. What is it?"

T'Pol looked at her sensors. "It is not as it appears. It's not humanoid or organic. It's pure energy. I believe this is some sort of illusion."

The bridge speakers crackled and there was loud whistling, static and beeping coming through. The noise was so loud that everyone covered their ears. Jon's voice was barely audible when he shouted at Hoshi. "Can you turn that down?" The volume lowered. "Thank you."

There was a voice that came over the speakers. "_Thank you_."

"What? What was that?" Jon asked.

"_What? What was that?"_

"Is the computer repeating everything I say?"

Hoshi shook her head. "I don't think so sir. I think it's...whatever that is, trying to communicate."

"_Communicate. Trying. Sir._"

"Hello?"

"_Hello?"_

"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer. Who are you?"

"_Captain Jonathan Archer. Who are you?"_

Jon shook his head. "No. My name is Archer. And you? What are you called?"

"_Called? Archer? Name?_"

Jon blew out a breath. "This is going to be difficult. Hoshi?"

Hoshi cleared her throat. "Our species is human. We are from a planet called Earth. What planet are you from?"

"_Planet? We are the Nexus._"

"Nexus? Is that the name of a planet or a ship?" Jon asked.

"_The Nexus is. We have look you in our Nexus._"

"I don't understand."

"_We don't understand._"

"Yeah. That's what I just said." Jon muttered.

"_Language yours. Difficult to..._" There were clicks and beeps coming from the computer. "_Calculate._"

"Calculate? Calculate what?"

Trip stood crinkling his brows thinking. "Do you mean comprehend? Our language is difficult to comprehend?"

"_Comprehend. Language difficult to comprehend. We think we are understanding beginning._"

"Ok. You think you're beginning to understand our language?"

"_Yes. The Nexus understands. We are the Nexus. We have watched you travel our Nexus. You are worthy to communicate_."

"Well I feel all warm and fuzzy being worthy." Trip muttered to Jon.

Jon shot him a look that said it wasn't a good time for jokes. "Worthy? What do you mean by that?"

"_You explore. Not harm. You seek knowledge. Not war. You wish understanding. Not power._"

"Yes, that's true for the most part. What do we call you?"

"_We are the Nexus._"

"That's your species?"

"_We are no longer species. Only Nexus._"

Jon shook his head. He was becoming frustrated at the minimal and confusing communication.

Trip stepped forward. "What about you? The one speaking. Are you an individual? Do you have a name?"

"_We can be individual. Name? What is name?_"

"My name, what I am called, is Charles Tucker. I am an individual. His name, what he is called, is Jonathan Archer. He is an individual."

"_Yes. We understand. Individual is called Galen._"

"Ok. Galen. That's your name as an individual. How many individuals are there?"

"_Few. We are Nexus. We are no longer individual. We are one Nexus. We are individual when we find those worthy._"

"What do you mean?" Jon asked.

"_We find those worthy when we reveal us. We ask to explore you. We ask to learn you._"

"I still don't understand."

There was a sound that seemed like exasperation coming from the speakers. "_Too difficult. Better way if granted._"

"Granted? What do you mean?"

The image of the giant vanished. A small white light came through the haul of the ship onto the bridge. Malcolm sounded alarmed. "Captain!"

Jon put his hand up at him. "I think its ok Malcolm. Don't do anything."

The light went around the bridge then to Trip. There was a buzzing/whining sound as it moved around him. Suddenly the light entered Trip's forehead. A second later, a small blue light exited his forehead and hovered near Jon. "Trip? Are you ok? What happened?"

Trip turned to look at him. He had a strange look. One that Jon had never seen before. "The one you call "Trip" is there." He pointed to the blue light. "I am Galen."

"What? What have you done to my...officer?" Jon's voice raised.

"Do not worry Captain. He is not harmed. He understands that it is easier for us to communicate this way. He will be returned when we are finished."

"Our species don't like having our bodies taken over. Return Trip now." The blue light brushed against Jon's face then landed on his shoulder.

Trip...rather his body, nodded. "He understands. He gave me permission to do this. He is not harmed."

"_Gave_ you permission? When? I didn't hear him tell you that he was willing to do this."

"When our...you call spirits...crossed. Captain please. If you will allow me to explain."

"Ok. But then I want my officer back."

"I promise he will be returned. We were once corporeal beings as yourself. As we advanced and evolved we learned to transform ourselves into what you see now. What was once our planet started to die, those of us able, transformed. Our existence has been this ever since. When people, as yourself enter our Nexus, we observe them. Should we find them to be peaceful beings, we reveal ourselves and communicate with them. We have not seen peaceful beings for over...what you call a hundred years and they did not wish to allow us to use their beings in this manner. All we wish is to explore more about you."

"You want to use Trip's body to explore the galaxy with us?" Jon was confused.

The blue light on Jon's shoulder began to hum and move about then settled back to his shoulder quietly.

"Ah. I see. Explore was the wrong word. We wish an exchange of cultural learning."

"You want to _learn_ more about us?"

"Yes. And give you the opportunity to learn more about us as well...Trip calls it...first contact?"

Jon chuckled. "Yeah. That's right. How do you do this?"

"We ask that you allow a small group...four individuals for us to use for what you call...one week?"

"You mean like what you did to Trip? Take over their bodies?"

"Yes. And as they are in this form." He gestured to the blue light. "They are free to become the Nexus and learn about us."

"I'm sorry, but I can't order any of my crew to allow their bodies to be taken over. As I said, our species just doesn't like that sort of thing."

The light hummed again.

"Ah. Yes. Trip says to ask for volunteers."

"You can understand him like this?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well...how about I think about it. I'm not sure if you'll get any volunteers though...but I will consider it."

"Very good Captain. That is all we ask. Thank you."

The blue light on Jon's shoulder lifted up and moved to Trip's body. Jon watched as it entered. A second later a white light exited. Trip stumbled back. "Whoa! What a rush! Cap'n...that was..._WOW!_"

"Trip? Is that you?"

"Yeah...it's me. Cap'n, what Galen said is all true. They are peaceful beings. All they want is to learn more about us."

"How can you be so sure Trip?"

"It's hard to explain. While I was in that form, I was part of them. I understood everything. I could hear them...see their thoughts. It was...I don't know...I can't describe it, but he's telling the truth. They don't mean us any harm. Cap'n...I'd like to volunteer."

Jon leaned in towards him and quietly asked. "Trip? We just got married. What about our honeymoon?"

"So? We'll postpone for a week. Isn't first contact worth it?"

"Yes...but I'm still not so sure of this. We don't know anything about them. What if they don't give your body back to you?"

"Cap'n...I'm tell'n ya. They are so open. Galen was being truthful when he said only for a week. They can't survive outside of the Nexus any longer than that."

"And what if something happens before the end of the week and I need my people back? How would I be able to contact you?"

The white light hummed.

Trip nodded his head. "Galen said that while we're a part of the Nexus, we will be aware of everything and will know to come back."

"You understood that humming? Him?"

"Yeah. I guess I did. Now that I've been a part of the Nexus, even momentarily, I understand."

"Ok. So who _is_ this Galen?"

"Like he said, they were once corporeal, but now they're not. Galen is kinda like their leader. The other three he wants to bring, in their corporeal forms, were like high mucky-mucks."

"And if I say no? If I won't allow them to...borrow my crew?"

The light hummed again.

"He said that he would be disappointed but bids us peace and...well I guess the best word is "blessings". Observing us, he knows we're not going to do them any harm and he will allow us to finish our mission without interference. Cap'n...all they want is to know us better. Know our culture and our way of life, and give us a chance to learn about them, who they are now and who they once were."

Jon looked at the Admiral. "What do you think of all this sir?"

"I'm just here to observe and report, Captain. The decision is yours."

Jon thought for a few moments, pacing the floor as he did so. "Trip? Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely. Like I said, they were completely open."

"Ok. Galen...I guess you have your first volunteer."

"Sir. I'd like to volunteer too." Hoshi said.

"Hoshi? You?" Jon raised his brows at her.

"Yes sir. It will give me a chance to study their language."

"Ok. That's two then."

Malcolm cleared his throat. "I'll go."

"No Malcolm. I need my tactical officer to stay in his own body. I'm sorry, but I can't risk the security of the ship."

The light hummed.

"Galen agrees with you, Cap'n."

"Really?" Jon sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Safety and security of the ship is too important to risk."

Jon turned to T'Pol. "T'Pol? What about you? It would be a good opportunity for science study?"

"If it's all the same to you, Captain. I would prefer not. To voluntarily allow an entity to control my body is...disturbing."

"Aw c'mon T'Pol! You might actually have some fun." Trip tried to coax her.

T'Pol raised a brow. "Vulcans do not have...fun."

"Uh-huh. You know I know better than that. Whatever then...miss out."

Takei spoke up. "I will volunteer."

"Admiral. With all due respect, I can't allow you to do that." Jon looked at him with concern

"Captain, I am here to observe and report. What better way to observe a species but to become a part of them? Besides, I was promoted and riding a desk long before the NX-01 was ready for her deep space missions. When I was a Captain, I never got past Pluto. I've missed out on the fun you're having."

"But Admiral-"

"I'm volunteering. That's final, Captain."

"Again, all due respect, I don't feel comfortable allowing a high ranking officer to volunteer for this...exchange."

"Duly noted. But I'm volunteering."

Jon knew he wasn't going to win this argument. "Yes sir." He turned to the white light. "Well...that's three."

"Captain." Travis started to speak up.

"Sorry ensign. Not this time. I need my pilot...besides, how would it look if my entire bridge crew wants to abandon me?"

Travis grinned. "Aye sir."

Word spread quickly around the ship and the majority wanted a chance to be the fourth. Jon chose a lieutenant from T'Pol's science team as he wanted a report from a scientific view.

XXX

Jon took Trip to his ready room for privacy. "Trip? Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure. Isn't it our primary mission to seek out strange new life? And let's face it...the four of us will definitely be going where no one has gone."

"That's what worries me. The part that makes you...you, will be leaving your body. What if you don't come back? What if they won't let you come back?"

"Like I said...while I was in that form, I could see everything that they are and what they were. They have been in this state for over five hundred years. When it was new to them, some tried to leave the Nexus. They didn't survive. They can't survive outside of it. They would never risk trying to leave again." He gave Jon a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

"Ok Trip. If you're sure this is what you want to do." He wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. "We'll just have our honeymoon in a week then."

Trip pulled back slightly to look Jon in the eyes. "It might be my body, but it ain't me. Just don't do anything with it while I'm not there to enjoy it." He chuckled. Jon gave him a swat on his butt where his still healing tattoo was. "_OW!_"

Trip joined the other three volunteers on the bridge. Four white lights came through the haul, circling the bodies they would inhabit for the following week before entering through their foreheads.

Jon watched as the lights exited and wondered why they were different colors. Trip's light was a pale blue, Takei's was green, Hoshi's was a light shade of purple and lieutenant Hobbs' was a deep orange.

Suddenly there were at least a dozen more white lights that came through the haul. Jon was surprised and a bit concerned. "What's this about?"

Trip...now Galen turned to Jon. "No need to be alarmed, Captain. They are here to show your crew through the Nexus."

The lights exited the haul, all but the pale blue one and one of the white ones. The blue light that was Trip brushed Jon's cheek, made a humming noise then exited the haul. "What did he say?" Jon asked.

"He said he will see you in a week and to...behave? I do not understand. What does that mean?"

Jon chuckled. "Nothing. It's personal."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Jon lead Trip...Galen down the hall. "You can use Trip's quarters for the week. I'm sure he won't mind."

Galen tugged a few times at the collar of the uniform he was wearing. "These...clothing. Not very comfortable. I notice these are different from the others. Why is that?"

Jon stopped an ensign that was passing by. He gestured to her uniform. "These are the uniforms we usually wear. They are our daily duty uniforms. A bit more comfortable. Thank you Ensign. Carry on." She nodded and walked away. Jon gestured to the uniforms that the two of them were wearing. "These are what we call dress uniforms. We wear them for special occasions. You're right. They're not very comfortable. They're made to look good, but that's about it."

They started walking again. "Special occasion? You dawned these garments for us?"

Jon chuckled. "I hope I don't insult you but the truth is no. When you revealed yourself to us we were...engaged in a special celebration." He opened the door to Trip's quarters, being sure that Galen was aware of how to open the door for himself.

"Oh. I apologize for disrupting your celebration. Tell me. What event was it?"

"A wedding."

"Wedding? What is...wedding?"

"Uh...when two people, who care about each other, come together to...how to put this? Come together to share their lives with one another. Making a commitment to each other...because they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together."

Galen thought for a moment then shot his brows up. "Ah! A Timka'sork't. A union ritual of mates."

"Yeah. I guess that sounds right." Jon pulled out one of Trip's duty uniforms for Galen to change into.

"Who are the mated that have vowed themselves?"

"Uh...Trip...and myself."

Galen crinkled his brows. "Are you not male gender?"

"Yes. I am." Jon felt a little uneasy as to where this conversation was going.

"And this body? This is not male gender?"

"Yes. Trip is also male."

"Is this how your species procreates? Two of the same gender?"

"No. With humans it takes a male and female to...um...procreate."

"Then this is some ritual to commit to your leader...you?"

Jon smiled and shook his head. "No. Trip and I love each other. We want to share our lives together. Uh...among our species, majority of the time males and females are attracted to one another, but there is a percentage of us that are attracted to those of the same gender, and another percentage that are attracted to both genders. Trip and I fall into the latter percentage."

"Oh...you are ca'hnnca'ntdouulah."

"I'm sorry...I don't understand."

That is our word for what you describe. One who is sexually attracted to those of both genders. When we were corporeal, we had those among us. What is your word for it?"

"Bisexual."

"Bisexual...much easier to speak."

"Yes. I would have to agree." Jon chuckled.

"And your species condones this?"

"Well...at one time no. But we have evolved and have learned to accept people for their sexuality. What about your people?"

"It saddens me to admit...before the time of our enlightenment, it was not condoned. Those who were as you and your Trip are...were put to death."

Jon's heart began to pound and he started to panic for Trip's safety. Galen seemed to sense Jon's concern and quickly amended himself. "You do not need to fear for your Trip. Those of us who evolved beyond our corporeal beings were able to do so through enlightenment. That includes acceptance. Your Trip will be safe." He inclined his head to Jon. "Your Trip? He said his...name is Charles Tucker. Why do you call him by this other?"

"It's a nickname. Uh...something friends and family call him."

"Why?"

"Uh...that might take some explaining. We have an entire week for all this. Why don't you change clothes, put on something more comfortable, I'll show you around the ship and I'll tell you about his nickname along the way."

Galen looked down at his clothes, then looked at the clothes Jon laid out on the bed. He gave Jon a questioning look.

"You don't know how. Do you?"

"I remember clothing when I was in your form...but they were not like these. I am sorry."

Jon helped Galen change clothes, showing him how buttons and zippers worked. Then took him for a tour of the ship, explaining along the way of Trip's nickname. During the tour Jon had made an observation. "It's funny hearing a different voice coming from Trip."

"I do not understand Captain. It is still his body. How is the voice different?"

"Trip has an accent that's gone now, it just seems a little strange to me, that's all."

"Accent?"

"The way he speaks and pronounces his words. For example, when you speak you say "Captain". Trip's accent clips the word into "Cap'n", and the way you pronounce the word "you" while Trip's pronunciation would sometimes be "yer" and sometimes "ya" depending on the phrasing. It's no big deal really."

"If you allow me to hear a recording of his voice, I can try to approximate his accent."

Jon chuckled and shook his head. "No, really it's alright." They ended in sickbay. "It's just standard procedure, Galen."

"Yes. I understand. You wish to ensure that no damage is being done to your Trip's body."

"I'm glad you understand. This is Phlox, our doctor. He will perform the exam."

"Hello Galen. I can assure you that this won't hurt a bit." Phlox smiled at him.

"You are different from the others."

"That is correct. My species is called Denobulan."

"Yes. We have observed your species before. You are not worthy."

"Oh? I hadn't realized that Denobulans had ever been to this nebula...Nexus as you call it. And why are we not considered as worthy? Hmm?"

"It was over, what you call, one hundred years. You are war people."

"My people _were_ involved in a war around that time, but it's been over since I was even born."

"Hmm...perhaps. You...Denobulans are evolved now? Now in peace?"

"That's correct." Phlox scanned Galen as they had been talking. "Hmm. This is odd." He narrowed his eyes at the scanner. "I'm sorry Galen, but I'm going to have to ask you to remove your pants so that I can take a look at something."

"Something wrong?" Jon asked.

"I'm not sure. Galen, if you wouldn't mind."

Galen dropped his pants and Phlox turned him around looking under the boxers as Jon moan. Jon hadn't thought of that.

Phlox started laughing. "The Commander has an Enterprise tattoo on his buttock? This wasn't here on my last physical."

"Yeah...ok Phlox. I got one too. Seems Admiral Takei is quite the artist...not to mention a prankster. He did this to both of us at our bachelor parties."

"I can remove them from both of you...if you'd like. Hmmm?"

"Uh...we'll see." Jon wasn't about to tell Phlox how much Trip enjoyed the view of Enterprise on the strategic location of his body, especially how much _he_ enjoyed Trip enjoying it.

"Is this something dangerous? Should I be concerned for my individual or the Nexus?" Galen asked worried that "tattoo" might be a word for some sort of disease.

"No. A tattoo is a permanent drawing in the skin. It's nothing dangerous." Phlox set his mind at ease. "Other than the tattoo, Commander Tucker's body is healthy and there are no adverse side effects to Galen's presence, as are the others."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Jon took Galen to the crew mess where the others had gathered. They had each been assigned someone to stay with them, answering questions and explaining human customs to them. T'Pol was with Hoshi, now Meriah. Malcolm was with Takei, now Torrin and Travis was with Hobbs, now Kassra.

"Oh Galen!" Meriah called. "You have to try this wonderful food of theirs. This is...um...turkey. Yes. That's right...turkey."

"No, no. You must try what they call dessert! It is superb!" Torrin told him.

Galen chuckled. "Looks like my individuals are enjoying themselves."

Jon shook his head at all the food that was laid out in front of them. "Looks that way, but there is a thing called over indulging."

"What is that? It sounds delicious!" Kassra said.

"No, that's what it's called when you eat too much." Jon smiled at her.

XXX

The Nexus beings (as they only referred to themselves as "the Nexus") had been in the borrowed bodies for a few days and was learning everything they could about humans. As Jon was showing them some of Earth's history, Galen questioned. "If humans have become evolved from these times, why is it now that even your Enterprise is equipped with war weapons?"

"We try to be a peaceful race and our interest is to explore, meet new beings, like yourself and create allies, but not everyone in the galaxy has the same ideas. We have these...war weapons...as you call them, more for defense rather than waging war. We did have an incident recently that we were forced into a war. We didn't like having to do that, and we certainly didn't seek it out, but in the end, we were able to come to a peaceful agreement and an end to the war."

"What caused you to feel forced into this war?" Torrin asked

Jon showed him the tapes of the Xindi attack against Earth. Explained to him that a temporal faction manipulated the Xindi in order to transform the galaxy to support their environment and that once the Xindi had the evidence that they had been used in such a way, worked with the humans to stop the transformation.

"So what happened with the Xindi? Are they allies with humans now?" Asked Kassra

"No. Not really. They're not enemies either. Right now their focus is finding a world suitable for their species. We offered to help, but they rather that they do it on their own. Who knows? Maybe sometime in the future we can become allies. What about your species, when you were corporeal? Didn't you use weapons as defense rather than war? What was your species called anyway?"

Galen answered. "You would not be able to pronounce it. We were once much the same as you. For centuries we used weapons to make war, but we learned that we were only slowly destroying ourselves. There was famine, drought, and uprisings against our leaders, greed, corruption, illness and death. We learned to work together and became a peaceful civilization. Once we did that, our weapons became only as defense, as you say, not everyone in the galaxy shares these values."

"You said you gained enlightenment hundreds of years ago. What happened to your planet and why wasn't everyone able to become what you are now?"

"The few that are left, the Nexus evolved, but those that remained did not achieve full enlightenment until it was too late. The last of our species died with our planet, only a short time of your years ago, around the time of what was the dawn of your travels into space. The damage to our planet had been done and it was too late to reverse it. They tried, but in the end, the efforts were not enough to erase what had been done. You showed us your history, there is damage to your planet, before what was inflicted by the Xindi, and now I fear that if humans do not act in a quicker manner... now... your people might share the same fate." Mariah stated sadly.

"Yes...many of us fear that." Jon responded quietly.

XXX

The end of the week had come and it was time for the Nexus beings to return the bodies back to their rightful owners. The blue, orange, purple and green lights came through the ship's haul with their white light escorts.

Each of the colored lights went into the correct bodies, except the blue one that was Trip. He buzzed, hummed and whirled around the bridge frantically. "What's wrong? Why is he doing that?" Jon asked Galen.

Galen chuckled. "Your Trip is a playful one. He is having fun in his current form."

"Playful. Yes. Can he understand me?" Jon sounded annoyed.

"Yes."

"Trip! Get back in your body! Now."

The light buzzed in circles around Jon then suddenly went down the back of his shirt, circling to the front and down towards the front of his pants. Jon hopped around like cold water droplets on a hot skillet. "Trip! Stop that! It tickles! Trip! Get back in your...oh! Trip! Stop that!"

The light went upwards, out of Jon's shirt and stopped in front of his nose and made a sound that resembled a pout. Reluctantly, the blue light started towards his body. Jon had a sudden thought. "Hold on a minute. I have one more question for Galen before he goes. The lights...why are they colored and not white like yours?"

"It is their level of evolution. The orange and green, have been on the path of enlightenment for some time. The purple is beginning the path. And the blue...he is almost to the end."

"Trip? You mean...he can become like you? On his own?"

"Maybe...someday. If he continues his journey. Who knows?"

The blue light hummed. Galen looked at it. "Yes...I agree." The blue light went in and a white light came out.

The white light hummed at Jon. He turned to Trip. "What did he say?"

"He thanked you for the exchange and said he hopes that the fate of Earth will have a different outcome and that we can be considered allies. He bids us peace and blessings."

"You're welcome Galen. Peace and blessings to you as well. As for Earth...we will do our best."

The white lights left the ship. Jon turned to the four. "So, what was it like?"

They all started talking at once, excitedly. Jon held up his hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. One at a time. Admiral?"

"It was amazing! It was so freeing. And being in tune with the universe...indescribable!"

"Yeah! It was like there was no limits to what we could do! We were...just_ were_!" Hoshi nodded in amazement.

"It was like time meant nothing. We were there, here... in the entire galaxy all at the same time!" Trip said. He started to move his mouth around and smacked his lips a few times. "Why do I taste chocolate?"

Jon chuckled. "It seems your hosts liked our food..._a lot! _Especially desserts. You all might want to consider extra time in the gym for a month or so."

Trip twisted up his face. "Aww!"

XXX

Jon had the four in the conference room while they gave their reports to the week they spent as part of the Nexus and what they had learned about them. "Do you know what happened to their planet? To their people?"

"Yes..it's very sad and frightening familiar." Hobbs told him. "They were much more technology advanced then we are now. Once they realized their world was dying, they went out into the galaxy to find a new world, sadly, they were not able to find one in time."

"Were you able to find out what they looked like when they were corporeal?"

"Yes, they shared that memory with me." Takei told him as he got some paper and a pencil. He drew out what he had seen. What he drew was shocking.

The drawing was a small, thin being with gangly arms and legs, grey skin, a large triangular shaped head, too large for its body and very large smooth, black almond shaped eyes.

Trip looked up from the drawing. "Am I the only one thinking..._Roswell_?"


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Jon and Trip had some unfinished business. They stepped off the lift to D deck where the crew lined up against the walls flanking the hallway applauding. As they walked arm-in-arm towards the Admiral and the bridge crew, they were showered with confetti.

They stopped in front of a door with a large white satin ribbon across it. "Your new home Captain, Commander. Congratulations. May you both have a long and happy marriage filled with joy and love." Takei smiled at them.

"Thank you Admiral. This is...thank you." Jon said as he pulled the ribbon away from the door.

Malcolm gave them a crooked smile. "So...which one of you gets carried over the threshold?"

Jon and Trip looked at Malcolm and said in unison. "Malcolm...no!"

"Besides...with his old knees?" Trip shoved a thumb in Jon's direction. "He'll probably end up dropping me!" A round of laughter filled the hall. "Naw. We're doing this southern style. Jump the threshold."

Jon looked at Trip just to be sure. "Right foot first?"

"Yep."

They opened the door, jumping the threshold with their right feet entering first, they stopped just inside and looked around with wide eyes and gaping mouths. The room took up two quarter spaces and a high ceiling. There was a small nook for a two chair dining table to one side and a desk area with computer tucked into the corner at the other side. In the center was the living area with couch, coffee table and a nice size viewing monitor to watch their sports games, movies or whatever they chose. Trip noticed a small set of stairs that led to a platform, complete with a second desk and computer surrounded by a glass wall.

Trip ran a quick blueprint of Enterprise through his head and realized that the platform area had once been a storage closet on C deck. "What's up there?" Trip asked Admiral Takei, pointing to the platform.

"That is the Captain's work area. He may be your husband, but he's still the Captain and needs his private work space."

"Ok then...off limits. I get it. And the other work area?"

"That's your area, Commander. The computer is tied directly to engineering."

The crowd had started to come in mingling around the new quarters. Travis called from a corner near the dining area. "Hey guys! You have a private bar over here!"

"Huh?" Jon went over to the area where Travis was at as Trip went around the other way of the room checking things out. The area of the small bar was tucked into the corner with glasses and the various liquor bottles of both Jon and Trip's stashes from their old quarters. "Well...let's break this place in right. The bar's open!" Jon called to the guests.

As Travis started playing bartender pouring drinks, Jon turned to Takei. "Uh sir...I don't mean to sound ungrateful...but I think you forgot something."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Where's the bed?" The question got giggles, whistles and cat-calls from the guests.

Jon heard Trip's voice from the other side of the room. "Uh...found it." Trip was standing in front of a door that Jon assumed was the bathroom when he first saw it.

He went over and looked in then looked at Trip surprised. "You mean a bedroom? An _actual_ bedroom?" The room had a queen size bed, nightstands on either side, a double door closet and large dresser drawers. A second door that led to a full size bathroom and shower off of the side. "Wow! I haven't had an actual bedroom since I joined up with Starfleet! This is just too much!"

"Well...being Captain, you never know who might come calling in the middle of the night. You two need your privacy from the living area." The Admiral inclined his head.

"Thank you sir. This is a wonderful wedding gift." Jon choked up a little thinking how nice it was for the Admiral to do this for them and the hard work and sacrifice the crew put in to make it possible.

"Yeah! Thank you sir. It really is great. Best surprise ever." Trip added.

After a couple hours and several toasts, the guests started to find their way out so the happy couple could start their honeymoon. Hoshi stumbled up to them...obviously a little too much toasting for her. "Y-you guyssss...you sssoooo ha-peeee. N-neber be habier for you t-two...sssooo good togeber."

Malcolm sidled up next to her, pulling one of her arms around his shoulders while holding her up by the waist. "Don't worry sirs, I'll make sure she gets home safe."

Hoshi reached up with her free hand and pawed at Malcolm's face. "I l-lobe you sssooo mu-mu-cht. Yous goooo man. Lobe, lobe, lobe youssss." Hoshi started to attempt to sing something but the words were slurred and out of order.

"Ok dearie...let's get you off to bed. Good night sirs. Enjoy your honeymoon, and don't worry...I'll make sure no one bothers you this week."

After the last of the guest left, Trip wrapped his arms around Jon's waist. "Alone at last...husband."

"Finally! After waiting a week...I don't think I want to wait any longer, husband. But I do need to ask one thing."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Right before you took your body back, you hummed something and Galen said he agreed. What were the two of you talking about?"

Trip grinned at him. "Nothing. Just an observation. Don't worry about it." He gave Jon a light kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Uh-huh. Ok then. There is just one other thing that I've been dying to do all night." In a swift move Jon reached down, scooping Trip up into his arms cradling him. "What was that crack about old knees?"

"Oh shit! Please don't drop me!" Trip laughed as Jon carried him to their bedroom to start their honeymoon and the rest of their lives.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: ***WARNING** _This section touches on the subject of domestic violence and miscarriage. You have been warned._

**Chapter 28**

**Marriage And Bond**

Trip had been in a bad mood for several weeks now. Jon wasn't sure why and whenever he tried to talk to Trip about it, he'd either get the "I'm fine" response or an argument would start.

They were four months into their marriage and Jon was beginning to wonder if Trip was having a hard time adjusting to living with someone. His bad mood started out mild, grumpy about something not getting done in engineering. A minor issue in Jon's opinion, not worth being grumpy about, a couple of days after is when his mood had become explosive.

He would snap at the smallest thing, yelling at members of his team, one crewman complained that Trip had slammed him up against a wall hard enough to cause bruises. This was unacceptable to Jon, husband or not, he had to get Trip under control.

Jon confronted Trip about it in their quarters when he realized, too late, that it had been a big mistake to confront him there. It lead to a huge blow-out and Jon ended up sleeping in his ready room. Well...more crying than sleeping if he were being honest about it.

Trip was on the bridge under the communication station. It was the third time this past week that Hoshi complained about background noise and he was grumbling and slamming his tools around as he worked. Jon could feel the uneasiness rising among the bridge crew. "Trip. Maybe you should have one of the other engineers take a look at that."

Trip threw the tool he had in his hand back into his case as he crawled out from under the station and stood up. "Why waste another engineer's time with something that is obviously a figment of her imagination? _My_ time has been wasted enough! Next time you call me about a problem, make damn sure it's real..._ensign_!"

"Trip! That's enough. I don't know what your problem has been-"

"My problem!? My problem is that I'm getting sick and tired of running around this damned ship either fixing things that aren't broken or fixing things that got broke because you can't keep your damned nose out of _other_ people's business!"

"That's it Commander! You crossed the line! Go to quarters now!"

"And that's another thing I'm sick and tired of! Screw you!"

Jon noticed T'Pol close her eyes and take a deep breath. She slammed the palms of her hands against her console then quickly left the bridge without saying a word.

"Where the hell does she think she's going?" Jon questioned to no one in particular.

"See! Even a Vulcan is getting tired of your crap!"

"Trip! Quarters now or it's the brig...your choice!"

"Yeah...I'm going! I don't even wanna look at your face right now!" Trip stormed off the bridge.

Jon slumped into his chair rubbing at his temples. "What the fuck is going on around here?"

XXX

Jon waited a little over an hour before going to their quarters. He had hoped it was enough time for Trip to have cooled off. Oh boy was he wrong! As soon as he walked into his quarters, Trip started in on him. "Who the fuck do you think you are sending me to "my room" as if I were a child!?"

"Well the way you've been acting lately! And I'm the goddamn Captain...or have you forgotten that?"

"Oh no sir! You sure as hell won't let me forget you're the almighty _fucking_ Captain!"

Malcolm was walking down the corridor and could hear the muffled yelling coming from the couple's quarters. He decided that the arguments needed to come to an end and steeled himself to do his duty as security chief and put a stop to it. He suddenly heard a loud crashing and Jon's voice. "Trip...! Stop it...! Don't...! No!" More crashing as Malcolm ran towards the door, using his security code to bi-pass the lock.

As the door slid open he saw the broken glass and Trip hurling an object at Jon. Jon ducked just in time. "Captain!" Malcolm started to reach for Trip.

"Just go Malcolm. I'll handle this." Jon waved him off.

Trip spun on Jon. "Yeah! You just handle everything don't you?" Without warning, Trip landed his fist on Jon's jaw.

Jon stumbled back, regaining his balance he looked at Trip with wide eyes as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "That's it! Malcolm...take him to the brig!"

Malcolm grabbed Trip's arm. "Let's go, Commander."

"Get your fucking...h-hand...o-off-ff...m-m-" Trip's eyes rolled up, his knees buckled and collapsed onto the floor as he went into convulsions.

"Oh God! Trip?" Jon dropped to his knees next to Trip as Malcolm hurried to the wall comm.

"Reed to sickbay! Medical emergency, Captain's quarters."

"What's going on?" Phlox's voice came through.

"It's Commander Tucker. He's having some sort of seizure."

"I'm on my way."

Jon held Trip's shoulders trying to control the shaking. "Trip? What's happening? Oh God! What's happening?" His voice full of panic and terror.

Blood started to ooze from Trip's nose as the seizure continued. The medical team arrived within a minute and the seizure was starting to subside. Phlox shoved a hypo spray into the side of Trip's neck then loaded him onto the gurney. "Let's get him to sickbay." He called to his medical staff.

Jon started to follow when Malcolm grabbed him by the arm. "Captain. Not now. Let Phlox do his work." He said in a calming voice.

Jon turned towards Malcolm with the fear and panic in his eyes. "But..."

Malcolm shook his head. "Captain."

Jon gingerly touched the sore spot on his jaw. "Malcolm...do me a favor and keep this off of your report. I'm asking as a friend...please."

"Captain, I... I need to know. Has this happened before?"

"No. Trip's never had seizures before...not that I know of." The worry etched his face.

"No sir. I mean... has he hit you?"

Jon looked down but didn't say anything. Malcolm nodded in understanding. "He has, hasn't he?"

"It's not like that. He's been under a lot of stress lately. I knew he was already upset when he left the bridge. I should've known he would be fuming."

"Captain...believe me, I've heard all the excuses. Be honest with me...how many times has he hit you?" Jon winced when Malcolm put his hand on his back in a friendly gesture. Malcolm's eyes got wide and he moved behind Jon, gently lifting his shirt. Jon let out a few shaky breaths to keep himself from going into a full-blown sobbing fit from the overload of emotions running through him as he heard Malcolm softly whisper "My God!" Malcolm pulled his shirt the rest of the way off of him and looked at his back, chest and arms.

Jon's body was riddled with bruises. Some fresh and some days old. Deep dark purple, red, black, and blue. Some with yellowing around the edges. Bruises in the shape of finger marks on his arms, circled bruises on his back, chest, sides and stomach that Malcolm was sure came from fists. A large hand print on the small of his back from either a slap or a hard shove. Long bar shaped bruises here and there where it was obvious that Jon had been shoved into the beams of the walls.

"My God Captain. What has he done to you?" Malcom horrified at what he was seeing.

"It's not like that." Jon's voice a whisper from embarrassment. "He didn't mean it. It was my fault. I shouldn't have pushed his buttons."

"Pushed his buttons? No sir. This is not ok and it sure as hell isn't your fault. How long has this been going on? Has he always been like this towards you?" Malcolm's voice sounded strong and angry.

"No. It's only been the past couple of weeks. I don't know what's wrong with him. He's just been so moody...angry the past few weeks. This isn't Trip. He's not like this."

Malcolm handed his shirt back to him. "Put your shirt on and let's go."

"Go where?"

"Sickbay. Phlox needs to take a look at you."

Jon began pleading with him. "Malcolm...no. If Phlox sees these...it will go on my medical report and Trip...Trip could be court marshaled. No. I can't do that to him. Something is going on that's making him act this way. It's not Trip."

"If there is something medically wrong, Phlox will find it and Trip will be absolved, but right now we have to make sure that you're ok. Captain...I never really talked about this, so please listen when I tell you. When I was younger, my sister was dating this bloke. At first, he seemed a friendly sort, but we started to notice bruises on Maddie. She would make excuses that she fell, bumped into something and so on. Turned out that the little piss ant liked the drink...too much...and when he was in his state, he hurt Maddie. Everyone knew what was going on, but no one spoke of it...until the bagger put Maddie in hospital."

Malcolm winced at the memory of his sister laying in a hospital bed, beaten and broken. "She had several broken bones, bruises, and a fracture to her cheekbone and jaw that required surgery. He almost killed her. Mum and Da went into a rage over it. I remember the wanker showing up at hospital and a bobby had to step in to stop Da from tearing him apart. The point is, Sis has never been the same since and she could have been saved from the tragedy if someone had spoken up sooner instead of ignoring it."

"I'm sorry your sister went through that, but it's not like that here. Trip isn't an alcoholic and he's not abusive. I don't know what's gotten in to him these past few weeks...but this isn't him."

"That's what Maddie would say...but either way, Phlox needs to make sure you're alright. Come on, let's go."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Jon sat on a bio bed, looking over at a sedated Trip as Phlox ran his scans. "Nothing is broken and there doesn't appear to be any internal damage...just the bruises."

"How is he? Do you know what caused the seizure?"

"I'm not sure exactly what caused it, but there is something odd going on with his neurological system."

"Odd? What do you mean?"

"There are areas of his brain that are heightened...over stimulated. The areas of his brain...well quite frankly...if he were Vulcan, I would say he was in Pon Farr."

"_Pon Farr_? Are you saying that is what's causing him to act this way?"

"No. That would be impossible. He's not Vulcan."

Jon looked over at Trip debating with himself. "Um...Phlox? Has Trip or T'Pol told you?"

"Told me what Captain?"

Before he could answer, T'Pol burst into sickbay. She was breathing hard and sweating. "Where is he?" She growled. "Where is my t'hy'la?"

Jon got up and moved over next to Trip in a protective stance. T'Pol screeched at Jon while lunging towards him. "Get away from him! He's mine!" Phlox jammed a hypo spray filled with sedatives into her neck. T'Pol took a couple of wobbly steps before collapsing from the sedative.

As Phlox was putting her onto a bio bed, Jon looked between the two. "What the hell is going on?" He asked quietly.

XXX

After Phlox ran his scans and confirmed that T'Pol was in Pon Farr, the questions concerning Trip arose. Phlox was just at much of a loss as Jon. Jon decided he needed advice...from a Vulcan.

"We do not discuss these things, Captain." Soval stated in disdain.

"Soval. I know this is uncomfortable for you. It's uncomfortable for me as well, but I need to know about Pon Farr...for Trip's sake."

"Commander Tucker? What does he have to do with this? From what I understand his relationship with T'Pol ended years ago. In fact, I've been told that you and the Commander are now...mated."

"We're married, that's true, but over the past couple of weeks, Trip has been exhibiting unusual behavior. Phlox says that his brain activity is the same as a Vulcan in Pon Farr."

"A human experiencing Pon Farr? Impossible." Soval practically scoffed at the notion.

"Are you aware that Trip and T'Pol are bonded?"

Soval couldn't suppress his shock. "What? That's impossible. A human absolutely _cannot _bond with a Vulcan."

"Well they are."

"Captain...do you_ understand_ a Vulcan bond?"

"Not really, no. Trip pretty much explained it as that they were in each other's heads. T'Pol once told me that Trip has shielded himself from her and that she can't "read" him."

"Captain, it's more than that...much more. They are...life mates."

"I don't understand. What does that mean?"

"Captain...I'm sorry, I truly am. You have to allow Com- Trip...and T'Pol to mate. If they do not...the neurological stimulation to their brains will build and kill them both. They must purge themselves of this stimulation."

"You mean I have to stand by while my husband...with _T'Pol_?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Isn't there any other way?"

"The only other way would be...unfavorable. T'Pol would have to declare a kal-if-fee...if she so chooses, but it sounds like she does not wish this."

"Surely she could see that it's illogical for her to want to...mate...with Trip when he's married to someone else?"

"Her reasoning and logic is lost to her at this time Captain. Right now her sole focus is to mate."

"What if I declare this kal-if-fee? On Trip's behalf?"

"Captain...the kal-if-fee is a fight...to the death."

"Oh."

"You see the conundrum."

"Yeah...I think I'm starting to."

XXX

Phlox had kept Trip and T'Pol sedated while Jon spent the next several hours thinking about what to do. He was standing beside Trip, watching the muscles in his face twisting in agony. "Captain, whatever you plan to do, we need to do it fast. The stimulation to their neuro network is building rapidly. At this rate, I fear they won't make it through the night." Phlox gently informed him.

Jon let out a deep sigh. "I know. Any option available feels...wrong. I guess it will have to be the lesser of two evils." A tear trickled down Jon's face. "Alright. Let's get them ready."

Phlox and Jon had the sleeping pair moved into Jon's quarters. "How long will it take?" He asked Phlox.

Phlox shrugged a shoulder. "Hmm. The little information I was able to ascertain says it could be a few hours or a few days. Vulcans are very tight-lipped about this subject you know."

"Yeah...tell me about it." Jon muttered. He turn to Malcolm. "Stay outside at the door. No matter what you hear...don't come in and don't allow anyone else in either. No matter what...keep the door locked until it's over."

"How will I know when it's over?" Malcolm sounded a little confused by what was going on.

Phlox gave a smile. "You'll know Lieutenant."

Jon looked down on the sleeping pair wondering if he was making the right decision. He blew out a breath. "Ok Phlox, wake them up."

Phlox pushed the hypospray into each of their necks before turning to Jon. "We should leave before they wake."

"Mm-hm. Go ahead. I'll be right there." He watched as the pair began to stir. "God I hope I'm doing the right thing. Porthos. Come on boy...let's go."

As he walked out the door he turned and took one last look. Trip and T'Pol were beginning to sit up and looked at each other with wildness in their eyes. Jon closed the door behind him and turned to Malcolm. "Remember...no matter what...keep the door locked."

"Yes sir."

Just then they heard a loud crashing sound and a wild animal-like shriek. Jon shuddered and took a step towards the door. "Captain." Malcolm said quietly as he put a hand up to stop Jon. Jon looked at the door then quickly walked away with Porthos scampering behind him.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

It had been two days since Trip and T'Pol were woken. Jon had been staying in one of the guest quarters and pulling double duty doing his job at running the ship and covering Trip's job in engineering. Even though he wasn't an engineer, growing up at his father's knee and helping with building the warp five engine when he was old enough, gave him at least an idea of what to do. He did gain some new insight and respect for his husband's job.

He spent a good piece of the afternoon cleaning out the food recycling tank. The smell made him vomit twice, which of course he had to clean that up as well. Then there was Lieutenant Simmons, who had contacted him three times, because it seemed a matter of life and death that the small light over his bed wasn't working. And there was Hoshi, still complaining about background noise. He had spent an hour in sickbay getting treated for a plasma burn, and even in sickbay the calls kept rolling in about things needing repairs. A leaking faucet in someone's quarters, a plasma injector slightly out of sync, Malcolm wanted a calibration to the phase cannons, a lose railing in the gym, someone's door rattles when it opens, a shower whose water wasn't hot enough, inventory report to fill out, routine maintenance on the deflector array... The list was never-ending. He even caught himself telling one person to 'keep their shit on'..._damn it! _Simmons' light.

No wonder so many nights Trip would come in, quickly down a drink, take a shower and crawl into bed. Jon started to think that maybe too much was being put onto Trip and thought about his outburst on the bridge. Even though Trip wasn't in control of himself, saying things he really didn't mean...perhaps there was some truth behind the words. He made a resolution that he would have to look into reassigning some of these duties to other areas.

Most of the crew asked about the pair and what was going on. Jon didn't know how to answer, as he was beginning to realize why Vulcans found it so distasteful to discuss the Pon Farr. It was a very uncomfortable subject and any answer he could give would lead to more uncomfortable questions, so his simple answer was "they're not feeling well."

Jon would go by his actual quarters several times a day and throughout the night, out of concern and to see if it was over. He would hear banging and crashing of items being thrown and broken, sounds of scary animal-like noises, and other sounds that he didn't want to think about. Some of the crew that resided on the deck had asked to be temporarily moved as the noises could be very loud at times. Jon made accommodations for the requests, along with his embarrassed apologies.

On one of his visits to his quarters he was a little surprised to see Hoshi leaning up against the wall in the hallway talking with Malcolm as he stood guard. "Ensign? Is everything alright?"

"Yes sir. I'm sorry...I was just keeping Mal company. I'll go now."

"No. That's ok. You can stay. I know this is an unusual situation...for all of us."

"How much longer do you think this will go on?"

Jon sighed. "Phlox said it could be several days." A loud shriek from Trip and a hard thump against a wall made them all jump a little. Jon wondered what the thump was and hoped that Trip nor T'Pol had not been injured as he rubbed at the bruise on his jaw.

Suddenly the door slid open and a naked, bruised and bloody Trip stood in the doorway breathing hard. The little bit of interior of the quarters that Jon could see looked like a disaster zone. "Trip? Are you ok?" Jon asked worried at the sight of his husband and their quarters.

Trip growled something unintelligible and Malcolm quickly shoved Trip back inside, closing the door and activating the lock. Jon snapped at Malcolm. "I told you to keep that door locked!"

"I have sir. This is the third time the Commander has overridden the lock controls. I keep changing the codes, but you know how resourceful the Commander can be."

"Yeah...I know. I wonder why he keeps trying to get out."

"Um...I hope you don't get upset at me for this but...after the first time, I asked Phlox about it."

"Oh? And what did Phlox say?"

"He thinks Commander Tucker is trying to leave to seek out another uh mate. Possibly you, sir."

"Me? Really? I wonder why he would do that..." Jon's thoughts trailed off.

Jon went back to his temporary quarters and put in another call to Soval to question about Trip's attempts of escape and Phlox's theory behind it.

"I've never heard of such a thing happening. In Pon Farr, the couple is so focused on each other that they are oblivious to any other thought. Perhaps somewhere deep in the Commander's psyche, he knows that he should physically be with you rather than T'Pol? This is just a guess, of course. No human has ever bonded with a Vulcan...let alone experience Pon Farr, so anything with the Commander is just a guess."

"Do you have any guesses as to how Trip and T'Pol were able to bond? My understanding is that Vulcans have mental abilities that humans don't."

"Captain, all humans have the ability, it's simply that humans haven't evolved enough to access those higher brain functions. That is the reason Vulcans believe it impossible to bond with a human. Perhaps Commander Tucker has evolved enough to at least gain a small percentage of this higher function. When this Pon Farr is over, I would like the Commander to consider visiting Vulcan for further study."

Jon's eyebrows shot up and he chuckled. "Trip is pretty much antipathetic to being studied. In fact I'm sure he'd use the term "lab rat" somewhere in his argument about going to Vulcan. But you can ask him."

XXX

Soval had explained to Jon about the bonding and that it was for life. Even though Trip and T'Pol were no longer together in a romantic fashion, once every seven years the Pon Farr would draw them together, even if they had moved on and married other people.

Jon had done a lot of thinking about a lot of things over the last four days since Trip and T'Pol were doing...what Jon didn't want to think about but couldn't avoid.

One thing that came to mind was the fact that since it was the two of them and there was no chance of a pregnancy...as long as Trip didn't go sticking his hands into a bucket of weird rocks with a Xyrillian female...neither one of them had kept current with their null injections. Even though a Vulcan female could become pregnant at any time, during Pon Farr the chances were greatly increased. Jon decided that should T'Pol become pregnant, the three of them would deal with it together.

Jon had walked to a quiet place of the ship looking out of a window, sitting with Porthos in his lap. He was unaware that Trip was standing around the corner when he spoke to his faithful pup. "Oh Porthos. What am I going to do? I knew that Trip had this bond thing and I accepted that. But this? Can I accept this? How can I be married to someone who's going to _literally_ get a seven year itch for someone else?"

Trip swallowed hard. He didn't say anything and quietly walked away.

A few hours later Jon paid his ritual visit to his quarters and was surprised to discover that there wasn't anyone guarding the door. He called Malcolm to question this and was informed that "it was over". Jon opened the door and carefully poked his head inside.

Trip was sitting on the couch and cocked his head to the side at Jon's careful movements. "You coming in or not?"

"Is it safe?"

"Yeah...it's safe."

Jon walked in and looked around surprised. "I thought this place would be destroyed."

"It was. T'Pol helped me clean up after...Jon, sit down. We need to talk."

Jon sat on the couch next to Trip as Trip looked at him with tears in his eyes. "Afterwards, I came looking for you. I heard you talking to Porthos. Jon...if you want a d-divorce...I understand."

"Trip. No. That's not what I want."

"But it's not fair to you. How can I expect you to live the rest of your life with..._this_?" He waved his hands in the air to encompass everything that had happened over the last few weeks.

"Trip...did you know? About the Pon Farr I mean."

"No. T'Pol was just as surprised by it as I was. If she had known that I'd be affected, she would have made damn sure to tell me. No, it was pretty much a shock to her as it was to me. And if I had known...well...I sure as hell would never have dragged you into this mess. Oh God Jon! Everything I did...the things I said! I don't blame you if you hate me. I hate myself right now."

"Trip, it's ok. I know that wasn't you. I know you would never act that way."

"No. No Jon. It's not ok. The things I said. It's not ok...and hitting you? There's no excuse for that...that is definitely not ok. Like I said...if you want a divorce, I understand. I won't put up a fight. Anything you want I'll give it to you. Hell...you want the shirt off my back? It's yours. Just have a lawyer draw up the papers and I'll sign it, anything you want."

"What I want is you, Trip. Look, I've done a lot of thinking. I knew about this bond between you and T'Pol and I accept that. If it means that once every seven years I have to step to the side...as hard as it is...I accept that too. I love you Trip. I don't want a life that you're not a part of."

Trip pulled Jon in hugging him as the sobs finally came out. "Oh sweetheart. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I'm so sorry about hurting you. How can you possibly forgive me for that?"

Jon pulled back taking Trip's face in his hands. A thumb under each eye, wiping at the tears he quietly said. "Because I love you with my whole heart. I know you would never hurt me like that. I guess seven years from now when you start acting strange...we'll know why."

"T'Pol said she'll work with me on meditation techniques so that next time it won't be as bad and that I'll recognize what's happening."

"That's good. And maybe in around seven years you should get null injections?"

"Oh shit! I didn't think about that! Fuck!"

"It's ok. We'll cross that bridge when and _if_ we come to it."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Two months had passed since Trip's Pon Farr. Even though Jon had forgiven him, Trip still profusely apologized and was doing everything he could think of to make it up to him. He would prepare lavish meals every night, and making sweet tender love with his husband, even on the nights he was so tired he couldn't think straight. One night, Trip was so tired he fell asleep on his stomach before either one could come to completion. Jon couldn't really blame him for it, having a few days taste of the job his husband _really_ did on the ship.

It was discovered that T'Pol had indeed became pregnant...oops. The three had a long discussion about it, T'Pol and Trip agreed that they would co-parent the child and Jon, being step-daddy, would do his part to help.

During the middle of the night, Trip got a call from T'Pol. She sounded like she was in pain, breathing hard, she needed Trip to come to her immediately. Trip jumped out of bed, pulling on his boxers, forgoing the rest of his clothes as he bolted out the door.

Jon quickly got dressed and went out behind him. When he got to T'Pol's quarters, Trip was already inside next to her bed, in shock looking at the green blood that covered the sheets. Jon reached around pushing him out of the way and gently pulled the sheets around T'Pol wrapping her in them, then picked her up cradling her. "Come on. Let's get to sickbay."

As Jon carried T'Pol down the hall with a tearful Trip hurrying behind, they met shocked and sorrowful looks form the crew they passed along the way.

Trip paced the floor as Phlox did his work. "I know I didn't plan for this. Truth is...I really don't know if I wanted it...God that sounded horrible! I mean I'd like to have children someday...but the situation that this came about...oh hell, I don't know what I'm trying to say. Jon, it's us, you and me. Don't get me wrong, I love T'Pol as a friend...if it wasn't for that damned Pon Farr thing I would never have..."

"I know honey. I don't hold anything against you for it. Please stop beating yourself up over it. I told you...this is just something that I'm willing to accept as part of my life with you."

"But it's not fair to you! And this child? It would be a constant reminder of the pain I caused to you."

"No baby! Don't say that! How dare you blame this child?"

"No, no. That didn't come out right, I don't blame the kid, but sometimes I wonder if there might be times when you might look at it and think about how it came to be and if there might not be some little bit of resentment."

"No honey. I don't resent you, T'Pol and especially not this child. Truth is...I'm looking forward to being a step-dad."

"Really? You haven't said that before."

"I know...but it's true." He gave Trip a gentle kiss as Phlox came out of the other room and softly cleared his throat.

Trip looked up and saw the sadness on Phlox's face. "I'm sorry Commander. I did everything I could, but T'Pol has miscarried...she lost the baby. I'm sorry."

Trip let out a sob as Jon squeezed his hand and quietly whispered. "Oh honey...I'm sorry." The look he gave told Trip that he was genuine in his mourning.

"T'Pol? Is she ok?" Trip asked.

"She'll be fine. She's resting now. You can go see her for a few moments but she does need her rest."

Trip stood next to the bed holding T'Pol's hand. "Sweetheart? Are you ok?"

She moved herself over to snuggle into Trip. "The baby is gone."

"I know. Phlox told me. I'm so sorry sweetie." He ran his fingers through her hair and gave a light kiss on her forehead. Without realizing it, he had dropped the walls he had built up around his mind for so long and through their bond, T'Pol was flooded with his thoughts.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." T'Pol said apologetically.

"I know darling. I don't blame you."

"But you do."

"Huh? Why do you think that? No I don't."

"Trip...your mind is open...you do blame me. You blame me for this bond. You blame me for the Pon Farr. You blame me for the Captain being hurt. You blame me for this baby you aren't even sure you wanted."

Trip sighed. "Look...honey. Humans are a funny creature. Sometimes what's in our minds don't always match what's in our hearts. I really don't blame you for _any_ of this. I know the bonding wasn't intentional and as for the Pon Farr? You were just as surprised about it as I was. There's no doubt in my mind that if you had known that I would be affected by it, you would have told me. Ok...I admit that maybe...just maybe I did have a thought that if I had never...been with you, none of this would have happened. But the truth is, as much as our relationship was up and down, if I could go back...I wouldn't change a thing."

Trip stuck his tongue in the side of his cheek and narrowed his eyes the way he does when he's thinking. "Ok...maybe change one thing. More ups than downs. Point is, I'm happy we had our time together. I really did love you, and a part of me will always love you. I don't blame you or resent you in anyway. You have to believe that."

She nodded slightly. Through the bond she could see that he was being genuine. Trip leaned down and gave her a light kiss. "Get some sleep sweetheart. If you need anything, anything at all, I'm just a comm call away."

She nodded at him, gave his hand a small squeeze and closed her eyes. As Trip was leaving the room, he heard her whisper in his mind. _I still love you._ He stopped, closed his eyes and concentrated hard to once again block his mind from her.

Jon gave him a look trying to figure out what he was doing. He didn't bother to ask, instead asking. "How is she?"

"She'll be ok. She just needs to get some rest. Let's go home." Trip's voice was quiet and slightly heavy from fighting back the heartbreak he was now feeling. Truth be told, he wasn't sure about this baby, but now that it was gone...

Back in their quarters, Jon laid in bed holding a sobbing Trip allowing him as much time as he needed to get it out of his system.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: **_Originally I wasn't going to write this section, since it feels like the story is getting too long, but it kept screaming at me to be written. So...yea! Bonus section!_

_Enjoy :-)_

**Walking With Ghosts**

**Chapter 32**

_Captain's Log: June 22, 2153_

_Enterprise is in orbit around Earth while Commander Tucker, Lieutenant Reed and myself prepare to take a shuttle to HQ to meet with Admiral Jones and discuss the retrofits and upgrades to Enterprise before heading to Jupiter Station. We are scheduled for at least five hours and I've given the opportunity for some of the crew to take a couple of hours shore leave, but more shore leave will come once we dock at Jupiter, since we will be there two weeks, as long as there are no unforeseeable issues with the upgrades._

_End Log._

\--

_Captain's Personal Log: June 22, 2153_

_Myself, Trip and Malcolm are scheduled for a meeting with Admiral Jones. Starfleet is looking to upgrade the ship's weapons, engines and hull plating. They're saying it's just a routine update, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something more going on. I've got a bad feeling about this. _

_I've heard through some friends that Challenger is being pushed into completion ahead of schedule and that the NX-07 is getting a rush job. Why the NX-07 before the other NX ships, no one knows, and anyone that does know is playing dumb._

_I've allowed some of the crew to take a few hours shore leave to drop in on friends and family. We're taking a shuttle down to San Francisco because Trip is hoping that this meeting won't last as long as scheduled, and if that turns out to be the case, we'll hop over and drop in on his parents. We haven't told them that we might be dropping by, considering what happened with our not-so-small second wedding ceremony. Trip said he just wants a little time to relax with mom and dad without the entire Tucker gang. I mean, I knew Trip had a big family, but shit! I think ninety percent of the south was at that party!_

_I've even given permission for Malcolm to transport over to Japan and finally meet Hoshi's parents in person. So fingers crossed that this meeting won't take too long. If we end up going to Jupiter before Malcolm leaves Earth without going to Japan...I'm pretty sure he'll find some sort of excuse to back out of meeting her parents...again._

_End Log._

XXX

The shuttle was in final approach of Earth's orbit when there was a loud bang and the shuttle began to run out of control at a faster speed than orbital protocol. Jon fought the controls to keep the pod into a linear orbit, preventing the pod from breaking apart.

As they broke atmosphere, and through the cloud covering, Jon saw the Pacific Ocean and shoreline of California. They were going too fast to land safely. "We're going to overshoot California!" Jon called out.

"By how much?" Malcolm called back.

"I don't know...I'm trying to slow us down. There goes California... Arizona... Texas. Shit! We're over the gulf! Got speed control back. I'm taking her down in Florida. We can call Command from there. Trip, what the hell happened?"

Trip already had the panel off where the banging noise came from. "Looks like we got a crack in one of the dilithium cells, we're venting plasma gas and coolant."

"Can you fix it?" Jon asked as he steered the shuttle towards Florida.

"Once we land I can."

"We're not landing...we're crashing!" Everyone braced themselves as the pod began clipping the tops of trees and continued its decent with a hard hit and skid into the land. "Everyone alright?" Jon looked to Trip and Malcolm for any signs of injury.

"I'm fine Cap'n." Trip grinned at him. "Nice landing."

"Goes double for me sir." Malcolm smirked.

"Any landing you can walk away from I suppose." He shot back at the pair as he opened the comm channel. "Enterprise shuttle pod to Starfleet Command." The reply was static. "Starfleet Command. Do you copy?" More static. "Pod one to Enterprise, come in." Also static.

"We mighta did some damage to the communication system...I'll check that out along with everthing else." Trip said as he reached for the emergency tool kit.

After some time, Trip gave the news to Jon. "Well...I'm not sure what to make of this. There's nothing wrong with the comm systems and no reason why we're not getting a signal to Command or Enterprise."

"What about the issue with the engines? Can we get back to California at least?"

"Not really. The crack in the chamber and losing plasma, I can only give you about eighty kilometers before having to shut down to let her cool off. Even then I don't know if we would get her going again. We need more dilithium and plasma, not to mention a new cell...if I could get a hold of sealant, it would be at least a temporary patch to limp us back to California for a cell replacement, but we still need the dilithium and plasma."

"Well...we're in your neck of the woods. Where can we get the supplies?"

Trip looked around the tree covered area they were in. "I think we're in the glades, but I'm not really recognizing anything. From what I saw when we were coming in, we were heading straight towards Palm Beach. I know of several places there where we can get supplies and contact HQ."

"Guess we're hoofing it then. Trip...lead the way."

"Cap'n...did you notice anything odd when we were coming in?"

"What do you mean?"

"_If_ we were heading towards Palm Beach...where was the swath path the Xindi cut out? Plus we would've been able to see at least some of the buildings that survived. Where were they?"

"Maybe we were coming in too fast or you were too focused on bracing that you missed it." Jon tried to reason, but he had to admit to himself that he did notice something peculiar. Where were the air transports? Someone surely would have noticed a shuttle crashing and sent out a search and rescue by now. Right?

XXX

They had been walking for some time and the area was starting to clear. The hot sun and humidity had them all sweating as they continued their travel. "How much further, Commander?" Malcolm questioned with an exhausted and dry voice.

"Not too much further...I think."

"You think? Trip...are we lost?" Jon raised his brows and cocked his head to the side at the thought that their guide didn't know where he was.

Trip looked down, then looked left and right. They were standing on a dirt road. _Odd. I thought all the roads in Florida had been paved a long time ago. How did this one get missed? And exactly where the hell are we anyways?_ Trip silently questioned.

They heard a noise in the distance coming towards them. Trip couldn't explain, but he felt the overwhelming need not to be spotted as he pushed Jon and Malcolm back towards the tall grass and urged them to duck down.

They watched as an old truck went by on the road. "Holy shit! That's a Ford model T! I've only seen those in museums!" Trip exclaimed in shock and surprise. "What the hell is that doing out here?"

Jon was irritated at Trip. "I don't know, but why were we hiding? They could have helped us."

"I don't know Cap'n. Just something seems...off. I can't explain it, but I have this feeling we need to avoid people until we...I can get a few things figured out. Something just doesn't feel right."

"I'm getting that feeling too sir. I think the Commander is right, we should avoid people until we know what's what." Malcolm nodded.

"Alright...agreed. Something does seem a bit strange. The truck was going that way." Jon jerked his head towards the direction of the passing truck. "Think maybe towards civilization?"

"Truthfully? At this point...I really don't know. I mean...I know these glades like the back of my hand. Some of this seems oddly familiar, but there shouldn't be this much open land. I should at least see the lights from the city by now." Trip looked down at the back of his right hand and crinkled his eyebrows. "Where did that scar come from?"

Jon shot his brows up high. "Like the back of your hand? What the hell man?"

"Just screwing with you. That's where Lizzy hit me with a belt buckle when we were kids." Trip gave him a wide toothy grin.

"You're an ass, Trip. Still love you though."

"We can cut through the fields...Palm Beach should be that way."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

They made it to some sort of civilization, but it wasn't the bustling city of Palm Beach they were expecting. Jon turned at Trip and shook his head. "Trip? You want to explain?"

From the place they took up to stay out of sight, Trip looked around the corner of a building. What he saw was extremely odd. The buildings looked like something he'd seen in old family pictures and history books, but they didn't look too old. The people on the sidewalk passing by were dressed in clothes that seemed like they should be hanging from a mannequin in a museum somewhere and the vehicles looked like something out of some of the old movies he liked. He tried to think if there were any tourist historic villages, or some sort of reenactment festival going on, but came up empty. "I don't know Cap'n."

Jon spotted a paper with print on it that had been blown by the wind against the wall. As soon as the coast was clear, he scrambled to grab it and ducked back into their hiding place before anyone saw him. He looked at the paper in his hand and trembled a little.

He knew it was a page from a newspaper. He had seen newspapers in museums during school field trips, and recognized it as the front page. Newspapers had been out of circulation long before he was born, and now here he was holding this antique treasure in his hands that had been discarded as some sort of garbage. He showed it to Trip. "Take a look at this."

At the top of the page, in bold, large print read: _The Palm Beach Post. _"Yeah? Ok, so?" Trip shrugged. Other than it being an out of circulation newspaper, he wasn't making the connection.

"Look at the date, Trip."

He took another look as his eyes grew very wide. Now it was starting to click. The dirt road, the model T, the lack of skyscrapers, bright lights and modern buildings, the clothing. "Shit! June 22..." Trip gulped hard. "1933!"

"Right month and day...wrong year." Jon shook his head. "T'Pol would have a Vulcan logical meltdown if she were here with us right now."

"What the fuck are we gonna do? Sit around for two hundred years until Enterprise finds us?"

"Obviously that's not an option. We need to figure out how in the world we got here and how to get back."

"Uh...Captain." Malcolm started. "We might have another problem. Look at the way we're dressed. We'll stick out like three huge sore thumbs, not to mention the supplies we need to fix the shuttle and the shuttle itself. What if somebody finds it?"

"All good points. Let's work on the clothes first. At least that way we can openly walk around without looking too conspicuous."

They kept out of sight as they searched for someplace they might get their hands on period clothing. They were ducked behind some bushes in the back of a house as they watched a woman hanging wet clothes on a line to dry in the sun and air. Once she was back inside the house, Jon ran over and grabbed three pairs of pants and shirts before running back to the bushes.

Trip had a sickening look as Jon handed him a pair of pants and a shirt. "Trip? What's wrong?"

"This just doesn't feel right. Stealing someone's clothes."

"I know it's not the ethical thing to do, but it's not like we can walk into a store and buy some."

"I know, but... Well...it's just that this is 1933."

Malcolm shrugged. "So? What's the year have to do with anything."

Trip furrowed his brows slightly irked. "I'm surprised a history buff like yourself would miss this one. The Great Depression. For all we know...this could be all the clothes this person has."

Jon shook his head. "Hadn't thought of it that way. We'll be careful with them and return them before we leave. Sound good?"

"I guess we don't have any other choice...still don't feel right though."

As the three changed into their pilfered clothing, Trip started to chuckle. "What's the joke?" Jon asked him.

"No joke really. Just reminds me of a story my grandma once told me, that her grandma told her. Grandma's grandma mother had a school friend that lived in town. Her friend's mother had put clothes on the line to dry. When she came back later to get them, some of the pants and shirts were missing. Three days later, a package showed up on the porch with the missing clothes, freshly laundered and pressed, plus extra clothes."

The three chuckled for a moment then a shocking thought came to them. Jon looked at Trip. "You don't think..."

"Well that would be one hell of a paradox."

They had started to walk down the road back to the shuttle. They decided that they would hide it under branches and leaves until they could figure out what to do next. "Cap'n...I think that should we talk to anybody around here, it would be a good idea to not let them know I'm a Tucker."

"Why? What's wrong with someone knowing your last name?" Malcolm asked confused.

"Even in this time, the place was crawling with Tuckers. Most likely they'll ask if I'm related to so-n-so. Most likely, one way or another I am, but none of them will know who I am and it might stir up some issues."

"Good point, Trip. If anyone should ask, what last name should we tell them? Charles Archer has a nice ring." Jon nudged his hip into Trip and gave him a grin.

Trip stopped walking and looked Jon square in the eye. "I highly doubt anyone would believe we're brothers."

"Brothers? Why would we have to pretend to be brothers?"

Trip put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. "Seriously Jon? This is 1933. People weren't too friendly towards men with our...appetites. Especially in the south. We're gonna have to be very careful of what we say and how we act. In fact, you should take off your engagement ring, just the wedding ring should do, and if anyone asks, your _wife_ is in California."

Jon nodded. He had heard horror stories of the way homosexual men and women were treated a long time ago, he had even heard of tales of murder and the fears and uneasiness of his teenage years, coming to terms with his sexuality started to come back to him. "Ok. So what name then?"

Trip rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger. "Williams. Charles Williams the third."

"Williams? Why Williams?" Malcolm asked curiously.

"My momma's name before she married my daddy."

They all practiced it a few times when they heard a truck coming in their direction. The truck stopped next to them and a man leaned over from the driver seat. "How y'all doin'? Need a lift somewhere?"

"We're going out to the glades. You headin' that way?" Trip answered.

"Be pass'n by there. What the hell y'all doing goin' out to the glades for? Don't see no rifles so you ain't hunt'n."

Trip glanced around trying to think of something. The man grinned. "Ah. Shiners huh? Well I don't give a shit 'bout that. Hop in and let me know where to drop ya."

Jon climbed into the passenger seat as Trip and Malcolm climbed into the bed of the truck. Malcolm looked at Trip. "What did he mean by shiners?"

"He thinks were running a still...moonshine."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It's illegal in our time...it's illegal as hell in this time."

XXX

Thanks to the ride, they made good time back to the shuttle to cover it up and still had plenty of daylight left ahead of them. Trip pulled out his scanner, searching the area.

"What are you looking for, Trip?"

"Dilithium. There's pockets of deposits all over Florida. The people of this time may only think of them as pretty crystals, maybe make jewelry out of them, not having a clue about the energy they carry...but they're here."

"What about the plasma and sealant?"

"Have to figure that out as I go." Trip looked at the scanner confused.

Jon went on. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. The readings are odd. It seems familiar, I just can't quite place it. This direction."


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

They had been walking in staggering directions through the marsh and woods of the Everglades as Trip continued his scans and trying to figure out the odd readings as the sun was starting to go down. Jon was getting a little worried that they might be lost or that Trip was wrong about the dilithium pockets. "Trip, do you know where we are? Have you figured out those strange readings yet?"

"Yeah...I know where we are. We're on the outskirts of the city. In fact, if this was our time, Florida division of Starfleet would be about a mile that way." He pointed in the direction of the place where the Florida building of Starfleet, where Trip had signed up at, will someday be. "And over there, a hospital. The readings I'm getting...hmm. Dilithium usually forms on its own, but sometimes it forms alongside of silver and takes on a different property. It has to be processed to get the impurities of the silver out. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm picking up. Dilithium signatures with silver." Trip thought for a moment. "Oh shit! Now I know _exactly_ where we are! If this were our time...one of the mines would be three miles in this direction. Let's go."

Trip started to walk quickly in the direction of what will one day be a large mining operation as Jon and Malcolm hurried behind him.

They had went a little over two miles and the sun had completely went down, only the full moon lighting their way. "Trip? Where's this mining facility at?" Jon asked slightly irritated.

"It won't be established until 1936, but we're standing right on top of it."

"What do you suggest? We get some picks and shovels and start blindly digging?" Malcolm threw out in aspiration.

"No. The_ silver_ was discovered in a cave. If I can find the opening of the cave, we'll find the dilithium there along with it. Once we dig it out, I can process it and get the impurities out then we'll be back in business."

Malcolm wondered how Trip knew details about the silver discovery, but dismissed it as part of the State's history lessons in every Florida school.

"Do you know where the cave is?" Jon asked.

"Not really. In our time, the mining operation has pretty much swallowed up the original cave, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a cave...right?"

Jon sighed. "It's dark and we shouldn't go stomping around the woods looking for some cave in the middle of the night. We should camp here and start fresh in the morning."

Malcolm looked up and noticed a small light and whips of smoke coming from a place a little up the hill. He could hear the sounds of a cow mooing and a rooster crowing. "Looks like a farm up there. Maybe they'll let us stay the night?"

Trip shrugged a shoulder. "They might know where the cave is, and it was kind of common in this time for people to take boarders for a night or two...for payment of course."

"We don't have any currency and we can't stick around to work their farm in trade. No...I think we should stay out here." Jon reasoned.

"Staying out here might not be such a good idea Cap'n. There's gators and venomous snakes. I agree with Mal. We should see if they'll let us stay the night. Maybe in the barn at least."

"Alright...let's go." Jon sighed in defeat.

As they began their approach to the farm, a single blast from a shotgun rang through the air. The three scrambled and ducked behind a large boulder when they heard a voice from the house yelling. "Boggs! Is that you? Get outta here before I blow your head off you son of a bitch!"

Trip scrunched his face up and quietly let out a word of surprise. "Boggs?" He raised his voice for the man to hear him. "Hey mister! Don't shoot! We're just passing through!"

"Y'all with Boggs?"

"We ain't no damned Boggs!" Trip turned his head and quickly spat on the ground behind him. Jon knew enough about some of the customs to know that this gesture meant that Trip was spitting the foul name out of his mouth as Trip continued explaining himself to the man. "We're just looking for a place to sleep for the night."

"Y'all come out real slow and reach for God."

The three came out slowly, arms stretched towards the sky as the man held the rifle in their direction. "Well...get up here so I can get a look at ya."

They walked slowly towards the man, keeping their hands up the entire time. The man eyed them suspiciously before lowering his rifle. "Yeah...I guess y'all ain't no Boggs." The man spat on the ground. "Put your hands down. Looking for some sleep and eats huh? Well the barn is free...food ain't."

"We don't have any money." Jon said as a point of fact.

"Yeah? Like I said...barn's free and we count our eggs so don't try it."

"Wait a minute." Trip said reaching in his pocket. "We don't have money, but what about a trade?" He pulled out his Commander pips and handed it to the man. "It's silver. Think that would buy the three of us a bed and meal for the night?"

The man looked at it then bit it between his teeth. "It's silver alright. Never seen jewelry like this. What is it?"

"Kinda family heirloom."

"A family heirloom? You sure you wanna part with this?" The man's face softened a little as he looked at Trip in mild shock that someone would be willing to trade an heirloom.

"It's ok. My family will understand. So how 'bout it? Is it a deal?"

He turned the piece over a few times then eyed Trip. "Mister...this will buy y'all more than one night. We was just sitting down for supper. Not much, just some stew, but y'all welcome to some."

Jon smiled. "Stew would be fine. Thank you."

The man called over his shoulder. "Ma! Put the kettle on. We got company."

XXX

They settled at the table as the plates of stew and bread were set down in front of them. Jon gave a long sniff in the air at it. "Smells delicious. Thank you so much."

The man sat at the head of the table eyeing them. "So...what the three of you doing so far out this way walking around? Where y'all head'n? Looking for work or some'n?"

Malcolm cleared his throat. Luckily his skills as a spy kicked in and he came up quick with a good cover story. "We're on an expedition looking for a new type of power source. Our employer in California sent us out here, he's pretty sure there are minerals that he's looking for here. Said we would find them in a cave with silver, so that's what we've been looking for, some caves that has silver in it. You wouldn't know of any caves around here that we can check out for the minerals our employer is looking for, do you?"

The man shifted and seemed to get a little defensive at the question. "Boy! Do you think if I knew about some silver I'd be poorer than dirt right now? You see this farm? We had twenty head before the crash. Had to sell them all, but the milk cow, just to pay the bank note and keep from foreclosure. Ma here sells butter and eggs in town and takes in laundry and sewing while I find any odd job I can just to keep a roof over my family's head. And you ask me about caves of silver. Puh. And if y'all is so well with an employer...why ain't you got any money or a car?"

Malcolm shrugged a shoulder nonchalant. "Our vehicle broke down not too far from here, that's why we were walking. Ran out of money only a day ago and we're waiting for our employer to sends us more...hotels can get expensive you know."

"Hmm...yeah...I guess they can. Alright then. Sorry can't help ya. Don't know 'bout any cave around here."

The little girl that had Trip's attention looked at her father. "But daddy..."

The man shot the girl a glare and she quickly changed her mind about what she was going to say. "What about the caves around the Keys? Bet there's pirate treasure there too."

"Pirate treasure is a myth, Sara. Eat your dinner."

She pushed her food around the plate with her fork. "Stew again? Why do we always have to have stew?"

"It's hot and will fill your belly. Rather have rock soup?"

Sara stabbed at a potato and shoved it in her mouth. Trip looked down at his plate and noticed the stew was more vegetables and only a few bits of meat. The vegetables were most likely from the garden he spotted when they went into the house, and the meat was most likely stretched from a once a week or so supply, but he had to agree with the man, it was hot and filled the belly.

"So. What's y'all names anyways?" The man asked.

Jon spoke up. "I'm Jon Archer, and my business partners here...this is Malcolm Reed and Charles...Williams the third. We just call him "Trip" for short."

"Well, Reed...obvious a Britt. You Trip...you a down home boy for sure. Archer...betting you a northern yank."

"California actually. We know Sara here...and the rest of you?"

"My wife Mary and the little one in the crib there is Jason. Funny. My name is Charles too. Charles Tucker...but everyone calls me "Tuckey" Williams? You related to any Williams in Miami?"

Trip turned white as a sheet when "Tuckey" told them his name. He grew up hearing stories of his namesake ancestor that discovered the cave with silver and established the Tucker Mining company that was still in operation in his time. Finding the cave and establishing the company was what brought the Tucker family through the Depression and not only regained the wealth they had before the market crash, but prospered to the amount that the Tucker family was known worldwide as the wealthiest family on Earth. A fact that Trip usually concealed from his ship mates.

He hadn't thought about the fact that his mother's family was from Miami and most likely had ancestors there during this time period. "Uh. No sir. We're from Miss'ip." Using his parents' current location to avoid any further questions about his family tree.

Tuckey saw the color drain from Trip. "You ok there? You look like you just seen a ghost."

_I am looking at a ghost_. Trip thought. "Yes sir. Sorry, we've just been walking for hours and I guess I'm just tired. That's all."

The meal was finished and Sara was instructed to get herself and Jason ready for bed as Mary set down coffee and cleared the dishes. Trip looked around the kitchen and watched as Mary poured sugar from a sack into a container and set it the middle of the table before turning back towards the stove. The amount of sugar in the container was less than a quarter cup and Trip reached over, covering the top with his hand to stop Malcolm from taking any for his coffee.

Malcolm silently questioned him. Mary at the stove and Tuckey busy with the children, he leaned towards Malcolm and quietly explained. "It's all the sugar they have, probably don't have the money to get more right now, we should be lucky to have coffee."

Malcolm nodded in understanding. "Would cream be ok?"

"Yeah...they said they have a milk cow. I'm sure that's where the cream came from." Trip poured some cream into his coffee and took a sip. The coffee was weak, most likely stretching the supply of that too, but the cream tasted good...very good and Trip closed his eyes.

"Oh dear. Has the cream turned? I'm so sorry about that." He heard Mary exclaim apologetically.

"No ma'am. It hasn't turned. It's just that I haven't had fresh cream in so long...I forgot how good it tastes." Trip smiled up at her. It was true, he hadn't had fresh cream in a long time. The cream on the ship was processed and artificial, a big difference in taste to the real "straight from the source" kind. Most restaurants and hotels on Earth, even in people's homes of his time, used the artificial cream as well. His mother had stopped buying fresh cream and turned to the artificial blend years ago after the Xindi attack. He was hard pressed to get a taste of the real stuff anymore.

Suddenly a shot from outside rang through the air. Mary and Sara screamed as Jason started crying. Tuckey dove for his rifle and scurried to the wall near a window, ducking down for protection. Trip gestured to Jon and Malcolm to cover and protect Mary and the children as Tuckey began return fire through the opened window.

Trip spotted a second rifle leaning in a corner near a door. "Does that thing work?" He shouted above the noise at Tuckey.

"Yeah! Shells in the desk drawer there!"

Trip grabbed for the rifle and ammo then scurried back towards Tuckey. "Who the hell is shootn' at us?"

Tuckey yelled out the window. "Boggs! You son of a bitch! My wife and children are in here! Knock it off!"

Trip's face got red. "Boggs? Oh hell no!" He shoved the barrel of the rifle out the window and started firing as Tuckey reloaded his rifle. Trip was a little surprised at the power behind the recoil when he took his first shot, much more powerful than the replica of this era rifle when his granddaddy taught him how to shoot, but be quickly adjusted and continued his return fire.

"Thought you said you didn't know Wade Boggs." Tuckey questioned as he took aim again.

"I don't know him...I know_ of_ him." Trip said as he reloaded.

"Yeah? What do ya know?"

"I know he tries to claim land that ain't his."

"Yep. That's Wade."

They continued firing, not really seeing anything in the dark, just simply firing towards the area where Boggs' shots were coming from when they heard the noise of the door behind them being kicked opened and Mary screaming.

Tuckey spun, but before he could get an aim, Malcolm reached into the satchel of instruments he had been carrying and drew his phase pistol, shooting and dropping the intruder.

"What on God's green Earth was that?" Tuckey's eyes wide. Another shot from outside broke him out of his shock. "Wade! Stop shooting! Got your boy in here! You're gonna get him killed!"

The gunfire stopped. "Is he dead?" A voice from the dark called.

Tuckey looked at Trip for an answer. Trip shook his head. "Just knocked out. He'll wake up shortly."

Tuckey called back. "He ain't dead...just out cold. Go on home and when he comes to, I'll send him back."

"No. Send him out now!"

"What the hell did I just say? Go on and git! When Zeke wakes up I'll send him home unharmed...you keep shootn' though...he might not wake up! Go on now!"

"You better send him home, Tuckey! One hair harmed on his head and I'll kill ya!"

"That's fine. He'll be home in a bit."

XXX

Zeke had woken and Tuckey offered him some stew, which the boy, only a teenager Trip thought, hurriedly scarfed down before going home. Mary had put Sara in Jason's room so the "boarders" could use her room.

Tuckey sat at the table glaring at the three men. "Alright...one of y'all gonna tell me what the hell that thing was that knocked out Zeke?"

Jon shifted for a moment. "It's an experimental weapon. That's all I can say."

Tuckey blinked at Jon. "Experimental weapon? This employer of yours...government? Y'all G-men or some'n?"

Trip shook his head, they were getting in deeper than comfortable. _Thanks Malcolm_ he thought. "Naw. We ain't G-men. Our employer...the one experimenting with this new power source made it. We're supposed to test it, but not in front of other people." He shot a glare at Malcolm and mentally crossed his fingers that his story would be believable.

"I'm not sure if I believe you or not...some'n 'bout the three of you just don't seem right, but y'all did help me with Wade and you did pay for the meal and bed...so...I guess." He gestured down the hall towards the room they would sleep for the night.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

They settled into their room and Jon turned on Malcolm. "What the hell were you thinking Reed? How could you pull a phase pistol in front of those people? You could have corrupted the time line."

"I'm sorry Captain. It was reflex. That guy...Zeke...he could have hurt Mary or the children."

"Well just keep that damned thing holstered from here on out. And Trip...Tuckey?" Jon raised an eyebrow. Trip knew exactly the question on Jon's mind.

"Yeah...he's one of mine. My great-great-great...however many greats grandfather."

"Oh shit! Trip this isn't good. We have to be very careful here...any slip and you might not even be born! As soon as it's light we need to get as far away from this place as we can. And what's up with this Boggs shit anyway?"

Trip grunted. "Boggs." He let out a dry spit, too polite to actually spit inside the house on the floor. "It's been a family feud that's still going on in our time."

"You guys still shoot at each other?" Jon looked at him in shock and secretly prayed he hadn't been dragged into a shootout feud by marrying Trip.

"Naw. No shootn' any more. They bad mouth us, we bad mouth them and no business dealings between the two families."

"So...how did this feud start?"

"The way the family story goes, Wade Boggs had some land. Not good for farming, but granddaddy Tuckey wanted it for grazing the cattle. They were good friends and Wade sold the piece to granddaddy for a lot cheaper than it was worth, this was just as the market was beginning to crash. Anyways...the way the story goes was that a calf ran off from the herd and granddaddy went looking for it. He found it in a cave and found the silver deposits too. Wade found out about it and claimed that Tuckey was trespassing on _his_ property and illegally grazing the herd there."

"The market completely crashed and things got real desperate for both families real fast. Wade started going on about Tuckey "stealing" his land from him and papers showed that it was bought legal and belonged to Tuckey. Wade didn't care about what the court said and I guess that's when the bullets started flying."

"The story goes on that one night Tuckey was in the cave digging some silver out, we assume he was just that desperate for money, Wade surprised him in the cave. Shot and killed him. It's said that a stranger witnessed this, but there's no proof of any witness, and that Wade forced the stranger to help him carry Tuckey's body to the water and throw him in for the gators to feast. He shot at the stranger, but the man got away and somehow stumbled onto the farm here. When he realized whose farm it was, he told Mary what he saw and what happened after. The stranger left and was never heard from again."

"Strange thing is that the next day, Wade's wife showed up in town with a chunk of silver and got cash for it before disappearing. Wade Boggs and his wife was never heard of again, but Zeke stayed and told people that Tuckey ran his parents out of town, but no one had seen or heard from Tuckey, even though Mary insisted that Wade killed him, Tuckey's body was never found and people didn't know whose story to believe. A few years later, Mary started the mining company with the help of a cousin."

"But Tuckey said he didn't know about a cave or silver." Malcolm pointed out.

"Yeah...I'm kinda confused about that too. I mean, he supposedly found the cave before selling off his herd, hence the runaway calf."

Tuckey crept around the corner of the door. "It was a goat actually. Nice little fairytale there. Wade Boggs killing me and all. Now...you boys want to tell me what's really going on here?"

Trip dropped his head. "Shit. Cap'n?"

Jon sighed and ran a hand down his face. "You won't believe us if we told you. Look, forget what you just heard and we'll leave now."

"Forget a yarn like that about my demise? HA! Naw...y'all boys is gonna tell me who you are and why you're here. The truth."

"We told you. We're looking for minerals for a power source. We came on your farm by accident. My...business associate thinks of himself as some sort of author. He was just making up a story to entertain us."

"I'm a cow hand...I know bullshit when I see it, Archer. C'mon now. The truth."

Jon threw his hands in the air. "We're from the future. About two hundred years in fact."

"I said cut the bull. Tell me what's going on before I get my rifle."

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me." Jon retorted.

"Cap'n...we could just show him."

"What are you talking about, Trip?"

"They got a barn, it would hide the shuttle and give me a place to work."

Jon cocked an eyebrow. "Uh...Tuckey. Think that piece of...jewelry, is enough payment to use your barn for a day or so...and to give us access to this cave you obviously know about? We don't care about the silver there, we want the crystals."

"Those worthless things? What you want that for?"

"The power source."

Tuckey looked at them for a moment then busted out laughing. "Ok...so some worthless crystals...guys from the future...and me getting thrown to some gators. Y'all don't give up your day job. Story tellers you're not."

Trip cocked his head to the side. "What if it's not a story? Can we use your barn?"

"Yeah, yeah sure. What the hell."

"Well...alright then Tuckey, let's go for a walk."

"You're out of your cotton picking mind if you think you're gonna lead me out there to make your story real."

XXX

After much debate, Trip and Jon convinced Tuckey to go with them to the shuttle. Malcolm stayed behind to help Mary get the animals out of the barn and ready to open the doors when the craft approached.

As the three cleared off the branches hiding the shuttle, Tuckey stood back and looked at it. "Don't prove a thing. Y'all could've made this with scrap metal as some sort of hoax."

Trip grinned at Tuckey. "Ever been flying before?"

"Flew a fighter at the end of the big war...only sixteen then, but told them I was twenty." Tuckey gave a wide grin.

"Well...this will be a hell of a lot different than a fighter." Trip grinned back as he hit the switch to open the hatch.

Tuckey jumped back before taking leery steps to look inside. Once he was inside, he looked around. "Y'all put a lot of detail into your hoax."

Trip and Jon shuffled around him to sit in the forward chairs and started flipping switches and pushing buttons. "Trip, we should run dark. Don't want to attract any attention with lights. Stay close to the tree tops, anyone looking up at the stars, we will look like some sort of shadow."

"Got it Cap'n. Tuckey...sit down, here we go."

"How you think you gonna take off in this thing without a runway or propeller? Even if y'all creative enough to put a plane engine in here to make it fly...you need a runway and propeller."

Trip and Jon gave each other a grin. "We don't need a runway or propeller." Jon chuckled.

The shuttle started to lift off and Tuckey gasped. He didn't hear the noisy sounds of the planes he knew, the only sounds were the quiet hums of the shuttle and he was in shock that liftoff was straight up. As he looked out the window he could see they were barely above the trees as they moved along. "How can you fly so low? Don't you need more altitude?"

"Naw. We can fly lower if we want. I've skimmed more than one shuttle along the Kissimmee. Fun watching the spray." Trip said as he watched the tree tops and made changes when necessary.

Malcolm heard the sound of the shuttle approaching and quickly opened the doors then working fast to close them once the shuttle glided in. The shuttle softly landed on the barn floor and Tuckey looked at Jon and Trip wide eyed. "Ok...you guys are from the future." He sat for a moment thinking of the ride he just experienced. "That was fucking great! Let's do it again!"

Jon and Trip shot their brows up and started laughing.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

They had made a plan to go to the cave at dawn. Tuckey explained it would be safer so they could see if they were being followed, since Wade was always watching him because he didn't know where the cave was. This was the reason that Tuckey stayed away from it and figured that at some point, Wade would give up and Tuckey could start mining it then.

Tuckey wanted to talk to Trip longer and Jon warned him not to reveal too much, even though Tuckey assured him he wouldn't say anything because people would think he was either drunk or insane.

"So...you're my great-grandson? You're last name really Williams?"

"No. It's Tucker. Charles Tucker the third."

"Why you call your friend there Cap'n? If y'all ain't government, can't be military."

Trip chuckled. "It's not really like the military the way you know of it, but there are similarities. He's our Cap'n in rank. I'm a Commander."

"So, y'all fly them...what you call it...shuttles around Earth? Doing what?"

"No. The shuttle pods are small, short range transportation. We work on a starship...in space."

"Whoa! Y'all go to the moon? What's it like on the moon?"

"Cold, dusty and empty. We went, we saw, played a little golf, set up a mining operation and colony then moved on."

"You mean y'all go past the moon? How far? Mars? Saturn?"

"Much further than that. We've been able to leave the solar system."

"Well now! That's quite the trick. And you go way out there like that? Ain't you afraid of little green men?"

Trip gave a chuckle. "The Vulcans have a green tint to them, but they're peaceful. In fact they sort of helped us get out beyond our solar system...well helped us by trying to stand in the way that is. The others with green skin are Orions, not so little. The men are huge and strong. The women...let's just say they can be dangerously intoxicating."

"The ring on your finger. You're married. Any young ones for ya?"

"No. Not yet. Maybe someday."

"You're wife...please don't tell me she's a martian from Mars or something."

Trip shook his head. "No martians on Mars. Just some humans that colonized. I'm married to a human."

"So your wife then, she on this...spaceship with you?"

Trip shifted uncomfortably. "Not at the moment."

"Where is she? Here on Earth?"

"Yeah. You could say that."

Tuckey looked at Trip. "Why you so shifty about your wife? Things ain't right between y'all?"

Trip blew out a breath. _What the hell? May as well tell him the truth._ "Things are right between us. Truth is, I'm not married to a woman... I'm married to a man."

Tuckey looked at him in silence for a moment. "You know that's a sin against God...right? Or don't y'all believe in God no more?"

"I believe in God. Pray every day. I also believe that God created me this way and therefore it can't be a sin."

"Somewhere in your time my bones are rolling in my grave right now. Your ma and pa? They ok with this?"

"Yes. They love him to pieces."

"How could the world fall from grace like this? You mean people like you can get..._married_? Legal and official and all?"

"Legal and official. It won't happen in your lifetime, but Sara and Jason's lifetime, they may be old when it happens, but they'll see the beginning of acceptance."

"But why Trip? Why don't you find a nice girl to settle down with? Have a few babies? Even if its just a facade."

"We can adopt children and I like women too, but he's the one that captured me. The heart doesn't see woman or man, it only sees the soul. It's his soul my heart fell in love with. He has a beautiful soul. His light is almost pure white." Trip gave a small smile as his eyes sparkled when he reflected back to his week with the Nexus.

"Light almost white? What does that mean?"

"Nothing...just an observation I made once."

"So why ain't this...uh..." Tuckey was looking for the right word.

"Husband." Trip supplied. "He's my husband, I'm his husband."

"Hmm...still don't like this idea, but ok. Why ain't this husband of yours on the spaceship with you...if y'all is so accepting."

"Because he's here with me." Trip glanced down the hall then back to Tuckey.

"Oh hells bells! Not that little Britt!" Tuckey howled.

Trip laughed. "Malcolm? Oh hell no. He's a good friend, but never in a million years! Trapped on a shuttle pod with him for three days was painful enough! I kept myself drunk to drown out his yammering! Told him it was to keep warm though, so don't tell him that part."

"So...the Cap'n? Huh. Well...at least you married up.

XXX

It was crack of dawn and Jon woke to the annoying sound of a rooster crowing. He thought about throwing a boot at it, but then thought that Tuckey might not appreciate it very well. Trip was in the small bed with him, cuddled in his arms and he wondered when Trip had come to bed. He looked over at the other small bed and saw Malcolm still sleeping with his back to them. Jon stole a moment to rub his hand down Trip's body and give him soft kisses on the neck.

Trip stirred and stretched his body. "Somebody shoot that damned rooster." He mumbled out, his voice thick with sleep and slightly distorted from part of his face being pressed into the pillow.

"Good morning sweetheart." Jon whispered while nuzzling his nose in Trip's neck.

"Mornin' darlin'." Trip stretched again and rolled over in the tight space to be face to face with Jon.

They laid for a moment, looking into each other's eyes and running their hands on the other. Jon pulled on Trip's hip, feeling the morning hardness against his own. "Do you think it's a good idea for us to be in bed together? What if Tuckey or Mary comes in?"

"Me and Tuckey had a long talk about this. He knows we're married." Trip gave a playful nip to Jon's chin.

"Really? In this time period? He's ok with it?" Jon ran a series of small kisses down Trip's neck.

"Not really...went on about being a sin and all, but I think in the end he just wants for me to be happy, besides...I wasn't gonna sleep on the floor." Trip brushed his lips against Jon's then leaned in for a soft kiss, pulling Jon's lower lip into his teeth as the tip of his tongue ran along the lip. The sensation sent a shiver down Jon's spine causing his hips to buck into Trip.

For a moment the sounds of wet lips, smacking kisses, and rustling fabric filled the small room. Jon whispered in hushed pants. "Damnit Trip, why do you do this to me? We better stop, Malcolm is in the next bed."

"Yeah...you're right." Trip groaned out, letting it be known he really didn't want to stop.

They were both startled when they suddenly heard Malcolm's voice. "Just let me know when it's safe to roll over."

They both let out a small giggle as Trip sat up, folding his arms across his lap, slightly bending his body as he thought of things that would get control of his hardness before standing and shuffling around to get dressed.

They had their breakfast. It wasn't much, scrambled eggs, toast and preserves. No coffee this time, only milk and Trip hoped that the coffee they had the night before wasn't the family's last bit. He was a little surprised that there wasn't any grits, being accustomed to the staple item in a southern breakfast.

Sara was sent off to school, instructed to stay out of the barn, and to not tell anyone about their house guests. After many "whys" from Sara, she finally agreed that she would do as told.

Tuckey lead the three men to the cave, taking a zig-zag pattern and eyes scanning for anyone that might be watching or following them. Once they reached the cave, Malcolm stood guard and Jon agreed to allow Trip to use the phase pistol to cut out the dilithium crystals he needed, since Tuckey had already seen the pistol in action, it would make the process go faster so they could hury and leave the area before being spotted.

As Trip was cutting the crystals out, his mind continued to race to the meager breakfast they had and Sara's protest of "stew again". The more he thought, the angrier he got. Angry that his ancestors, his blood, were barely scraping by. Angry that a little girl had to go to school with barley a filled belly. Angry that Mary worked her fingers to the bone with other people's laundry and sewing, not to mention her own family's laundry and sewing, all the while sitting on riches because of one stubborn, greedy man.

During the night as he spoke to Tuckey, he questioned why Tuckey didn't simply offer to share the silver with him, avoiding this feud. He was shocked to discover that Tuckey had made many offers and proposals of a partnership with Wade, but Wade was so greedy that he wanted the land back and continued to insist that Tuckey had stolen it from him. Wade had even went so far as to accuse Tuckey, and the judge that presided over the court case, as being in cahoots with each other.

Trip cut out a small chunk of silver and tossed to Tuckey. "Get cash for that and go get your family some food, maybe be enough to pay off the bank note to the farm."

Tuckey looked at the chunk. "I can't do that, Trip. If I show up in town with this, he'll know I was here and bullets will start to fly. I understand what yer try'n to do...but I can't."

"Ok...give it to Jon. He can take it into town, get some cash and food for y'all, right Cap'n."

Jon looked at Trip for a moment and thought about what he was doing. "Trip...we can't interfere with history, we've done enough damage by being here, and Tuckey knowing about the shuttle, space, and you being a descendant. We can't do this, I'm sorry."

"But they don't know who you are and you don't have to tell them where you got the silver from, you could've been carrying it in your pocket from California, for all anyone would know. We can't just let them keep suffering."

Jon took the chunk from Tuckey and tossed it away, then cupped Trip's face in his hands. "Honey, I understand what you're trying to do, but they won't suffer for long...remember? Your ancestors will survive this dark time...without our help."

"But-"

Jon's voice hardened, the soft, tender husband gone and now stood the Captain. "_Commander!_ Do I need to remind you of the last time you interfered with a society? Do you need a tribunal this time? I said no. That's an order. Understand, Commander?"

Trip's body stiffened into a half attention stance as Jon chewed him out. "Aye sir. Understood." He responded.

They gathered up their things and headed back out. Tuckey leaned over to Trip and muttered. "Not military huh?"

"I said not military the way you know it." Trip quipped back sarcastically.

They made it safely back to the farm and Trip got to work. Tuckey found a container Trip could use to process the crystals, explaining to Tuckey that the container should be something he didn't need or care about since it would end up being ruined. Jon and Malcolm studied the readings from the shuttle and determined that the combination of speed, the dilithium drainage, plasma and coolant venting mixing with the atmosphere as they approached orbit caused them to be thrown back in time. They would have to recreate the accident in the hopes it would propel them into their own time. Why the combination of those things made the time travel possible, Jon didn't know and decided he'd yield that one to T'Pol for study when they got back...if they got back.

Trip still needed to patch the crack in the dilithium chamber, or the whole venture would be pointless as the shuttle would explode from the pressure variance entering into space. The database had the formula that Trip could make the sealant, and most of the chemicals could be found in common household items, but a couple chemicals would take government clearance, money and time to get their hands on. Trip decided that he would weld and solder the crack, adding a few extra chemicals to the smelt to make it harder and withstand the high temperatures. He wasn't to happy about the amout of slag to his patch job, but it would have to do and said a silent prayer that it would hold.

Trip used a mixture of antifreeze, low grade motor oil, and a few other chemicals to top off the coolant. It meant that the coolant systems would be shot to hell and the shuttle most likely be scrapped because of it, but at least it would do the trick to get them back home.

The plasma was a different story. There was no way of recreating that with the items available to him of this time period, and they all hoped that there was enough in the cells for the plan to work.

It took most of the day for the crystals to process, extracting the impurities, and drying the liquid dilithium into a powder. Tuckey helped Trip with the repairs, getting a crash couse in impulse propulsion maintenance. Trip carefully poured the powered dilithium into the chamber and took a look. "Shit! It's not enough!" He bellowed out. "I'm gonna have to go back to the cave and get more crystals." He slumped down and shook his head.

The sun was starting to set, and Tuckey made the decision that it would be safer to wait until the middle of the night, when Wade was most likely home in bed, and that this time, it should only be himself and Trip to go. Less people, less chance of being spotted.

They had dinner...stew again then Trip and Tuckey set off for the cave. They were in the cave when Trip decided to go around the corner to check for more crystals. As he had just finished cutting crystals, most likely taking more than needed, but ensuring he'd have plenty this time, he heard voices and yelling coming from the front of the cave.

Trip came around the corner in time to see Tuckey and Wade Boggs scuffling, trying to wrestle a rifle away. A shot rang out as Trip stood, eyes wide as the body crumpled to the ground.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

At the farm, Mary, Jon and Malcolm all jumped when they heard a shot in the distance. Less than five minutes later, Trip burst through the door, sweating, panting hard and limping from the bullet graze to his leg.

Malcolm quickly pulled out the emergency med kit from his satchel as Jon helped Trip into a chair. "What happened? What was that shot? Where's Tuckey?" Jon questioned in rapid succession.

Malcolm ripped the leg of the pants to get to the wound as Mary watched in amazement of the instrument working to instantly heal the leg. Trip sat trying to calm himself. "He-he killed him. Wade snuck up on us in the cave and the rifle went off. He's dead! Oh damn Mary! He's dead!"

Mary let out a scream as Trip muttered. "Damn Boggs." He turned his head and spat.

Sara came from her room. "Momma! What is it? What's going on?"

Mary grabbed at Sara holding her tight. "Your daddy! Your daddy is dead! Damn Boggs killed your daddy!" Mary turned her head and spat. "Damn you Wade Boggs! Damn you to hell!" She screamed out.

XXX

Trip spent the early morning hours processing the crystals in silence. He wasn't in much of a talkative mood and the rest left him alone to do his work.

The three men had changed back into their Starfleet uniforms so that Mary could wash, dry and press the pilfered clothing they had been wearing...minus one pair of pants. Jon had taken the clothes, to live up to the promise of returning them.

He walked into the bank, ignoring the looks he was getting for his garment and presented the teller with two strips of silver, remnants of the crystal refinement process he had snatched from the table when Trip wasn't looking.

The teller blinked at him a few times and Jon came up with a quick story. "On my way to a costume party."

The teller blinked again. "Oh. What are you dressed as?"

"A man from the future. A spaceman I guess you could say. How much can I get for these?"

"Quite a bit actually. You know...you're the second person to come in today trading silver for cash. Where y'all getting this silver from?"

"Second person?" Jon asked in surprise.

"Yeah...Wade Boggs' wife, Pauline, was here this morning."

"I don't know who Boggs is, or his wife. I'm from California and kind of over indulged while I was here. Damned if I didn't run out of money and need to get back home after this party."

"You came all the way from California with those in your pocket? Mister...your crazy! Lucky you didn't get mugged."

"I've been told I'm not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree."

A woman sat in her living room when she heard a noise. She went to investigate, opening the front door she saw a package sitting on the porch. She picked it up, looked around, not seeing anyone she carried it inside.

She was shocked at what she found when she opened the package. The three shirts and two pairs of pants that went missing from her clothes line a few days ago. Plus three more shirts, five extra pants for her husband. Three dresses for herself, three dresses for her daughter, and three hundred dollars cash. She clutched her hand to her chest in disbelief. "My word! Who would be so generous? Thank you whoever you are."

She picked up the handwritten note, smiling at how elegant the writing was.

_Sorry we took your clothes, we didn't want to do it but it was an emergency, we hope you understand. A pair of pants got ruined. I hope this makes up for the loss of the pants and any inconvenience we might have caused you._

_May your family live long and prosper._

_J.A._

Jon returned to the farm, carrying in several bags of groceries and handed what was left of the cash to Mary. Trip looked at him and grinned. "You walked around town dressed like that?"

"Told people I was going to a costume party dressed as a man from the future." Jon smirked.

Mary let out a laugh. "If they only knew!" She gave Jon a hug. "I'm not too sure of this men marrying men business...but you make a fine Tucker. Welcome to the family tree."

"Thank you Mary. That means a lot coming from someone in this time period..._grandma_." He gave her a peck on the cheek as she giggled at being called "grandma" by a man a few years older than her.

"I know what you did...the silver." Trip cocked an eyebrow in a slight challenge.

Jon shrugged his shoulders. "It was remnants. Why let it go to waste?"

Trip looked over his shoulder and saw that Mary had shyly turned away from them, putting the groceries away. Trip wrapped his arms around Jon's waist. "Thank you." He gave Jon a peck on the lips.

XXX

They had waited until night and Sara was sleeping before opening the doors of the barn, ready to try to get back to their time. Mary gave Trip a big hug. "I hope you make it safe. If this doesn't work and you can't get back to your time, y'all come back here, you'll have a home here."

"Thank you. We will, if it doesn't work." Mary placed a key in Trip's hand. "What's this?"

"If it does work...you'll know what the key is for when the time comes. Good luck...grandson."

Mary watched as the shuttle lifted off and climbed into the night sky, silently praying that her descendant, husband, and friend would make it back to their time safe.

As they broke the atmosphere, Jon pushed the engines as hard as he could while Trip vented the coolant and plasma gas. As the speed accelerated, instruments started sparking and popping. The three quickly put their arms up, shielding their eyes from a large shower of sparks.

When Jon pulled his arm away he gasped. "Oh shit!" He jerked hard on the control stick, avoiding crashing into Enterprise that was directly in front of them.

The comm channel crackled and T'Pol's voice came through. "Enterprise to pod one. Is there a problem?"

Jon responded. "You could say that. Didn't you notice how long we were gone for?"

"Captain, the pod just left dock seconds ago. Why have you turned around?"

Jon's brows shot up. "Seconds? We got some major problems here. We're heading back in and oh boy...do we have a story for you!"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

They got the shuttle back on Enterprise, told T'Pol what had happened. Which of course she didn't believe them, cocking a brow and citing that "the Vulcan science directorate has determined that time travel is impossible." Jon decided it would be safer to beam down for their meeting with Admiral Jones.

To the delight of Jon and Trip, the meeting lasted a little over an hour and a half, giving time to surprise Trip's parents with a visit. What surprised Jon the most, was Malcolm was suddenly looking forward to going to Japan and meeting Hoshi's parents in person.

Trip's mother was confused about her son giving her such a long, tight hug, but accepted his excuse that he had missed her.

Jon was looking in the middle of their quarters at the large chest trunk that Trip brought back to the ship with him from Mississippi. "What's that?"

"Kinda a family time capsule. Each generation of the Tucker family puts something in it for the next generation to get a glimpse of the past. It's been in the attic and I haven't looked in it since me and Liz were kids. Considering what happened to us, thought I'd take a look."

"Ok Trip. Sounds like fun. Open her up."

They sat on the floor and started digging through the trunk, looking at items and old pictures as Trip told Jon the family stories behind them all. Jon found some old newspaper articles and looked at them.

"Hey. Check out the bi-line. Article written by Sam Tucker."

"Yeah...had an ancestor that was a reporter. I think he went on to write a few best-selling books too."

"Look at what the articles are about."

As they looked through the articles, it chronicled the beginning of the gay rights movement all the way up to Marcia Kadish and Tanya McCloskey, the first same-sex partners to be legally married in the United States. The thought sprang to Jon's mind. _We've come a long way, baby!_

They continued digging through the trunk, further into the past when Jon pulled out an old metal box. "Wonder what's in here. It's locked."

"Ah! That's the Tucker mystery box. No one knows what's in it, kids have fun imagining secret treasure of gold and rhinestone, magic potions or spells. Some say it contains the finger bones of the first Tucker. Oooo" Trip grinned.

"Spells and magic potions? Really Trip?"

"Hey. We got some voodoo witches in our tree...ya never know."

"So no one has ever opened it to see what's in here?"

"Naw. Key was lost a long time ago and kids are told they'll get in big trouble if they try to break it open. Guess it's a way to let a child's imagination run wild. Hey. Wait a minute."

Trip suddenly got up from the floor and grabbed the key that Mary had given him. He inserted the key and let out a breath before turning it. They were both shocked when the lock popped open. They started to look through the mystery box, looking at the old pictures. Tuckey and Mary's wedding picture, along with pictures of Sara and Jason grown up, married and with their own children. They had even found Trip's Commander pips that he used as payment for the room and board and a jar of the leftover dilithium powder with a note saying: _Just in case_.

Jon pulled out a picture of a group of men standing together. He turned the picture over and in faded ink read _Tucker Mining est. 1936 Palm Beach, Fl._ He turned the picture back over. "What's this?"

"The first group of miners when the company was founded."

Jon looked harder at the picture, seeing the faces of the men. "Trip...is that...Tuckey?" The man that Jon was pointing to had a full beard and mustache, a little more muscular and rounder belly, but the eyes, nose and smile couldn't be disguised.

Trip swallowed hard as Jon looked for an explanation. "Trip...what did you do? Did you change the time line?"

"No, I swear. I talked to mom and dad about the story, and it's all the same."

"How do you explain this then?"

Trip blew out a breath before explaining.

*_Flashback Sequence*_

**1933**

Trip came around the corner in time to see Tuckey and Wade Boggs scuffling, trying to wrestle a rifle away. A shot rang out as Trip stood, eyes wide as the body crumpled to the ground.

"Oh my God! Tuckey...what happened?"

"I didn't hear him. When I turned around, he was taking aim. I had to jump at him...the rifle...it just went off! I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't mean for him to be killed. Oh God Trip! They're gonna put me in the electric chair for this!"

"I saw what happened, you was attacked, and the rifle goin' off was an accident. I'll tell the law that...they won't execute you for self-defense."

"No, no, no! Everybody knows about this feud between us. Even if you did tell the police, they won't believe you. Besides, you can't stay around here long enough for a trial. I'm gonna get the chair for sure!"

"I'll stay...what's the big deal? I'll be born again in two hundred years. I'll stay. I'll stay and testify at your trial."

"No! You have a life in the future. You have a husband to think about. No! I won't let you do that! Besides...what did the Cap'n say? The longer y'all here, the more chances of messing up the future?"

"The future." Trip crinkled his brows. "I don't get it. The story goes that it was you that got killed and thrown to the gators. I was around the corner and didn't come back around until it was too late. There's no way that I could've done anything to screw up history like this. What the hell?"

The two looked at each other as realization set in. "You said the story goes that a stranger helped carry a body to the water. Wade and his wife disappeared. My so-called body was never found."

"Yeah...holy hell. It wasn't_ your_ body that went in the water!"

Trip and Tuckey carried Wade's lifeless body to the water and threw him in. Trip watched as several alligators swam over and begun their feeding frenzy, without so much as a flinch. "What about you? What are ya gonna do now. Just walk away from Mary and the kids?"

"If I go back to the farm and Wade gone...there's gonna be a lot of questions. How's the story go? The stranger made it back to the farm and told Mary I was dead? That's what will have to happen then. I'll just have to stay away. I won't go far, I'll keep an eye on Mary and the children. Maybe, when enough time passes, I can come back, or maybe I can change my appearance and name so no one will know who I am."

"Shit Tuckey! This just ain't right."

"I know...but it's what has to be done. Get back to your own time with your husband, adopt a few little ones and let the Tucker name live on. Promise me that."

"I will...how mad would you be if the children were Archer-Tucker?"

Tuckey chuckled and shook his head. "As long as Tucker is in there I guess." They gave each other a hug and Trip turned to leave Tuckey behind.

He hadn't gotten more than ten feet when a shot rang out and Trip felt a searing pain in his leg as he collapsed to one knee, his hand on the place the pain was. He pulled his hand back and saw the blood.

He turned wide eyed at Tuckey who was lowering the rifle. The shock, confusion and betrayal etched across his face. Tuckey looked at him remorsefully. "How's the story go? The stranger was shot?"

Trip staggered back to his feet, nodding at the understanding of what Tuckey had just done. "Yeah. Thanks for aiming low."

"Anytime son. Remember...supposedly Wade shot ya, so yer runnin' for yer life now."

With that, Trip ran towards the farm.

**2153**

"...So you see...someone was killed, a body did go into the water, and a stranger was shot. I never said Tuckey was dead. Mary just assumed. I guess Tuckey figured out a way to come back and be close to Mary and the kids."

"What about Boggs' wife? How did she end up with silver and why did she leave?"

"Tuckey told me his plan about that. After I left, he went back to the cave and dug out a chunk of silver, leaving it on the porch for his wife to find along with a note like it had come from Wade tell'n her to run up north to New York with her family."

Jon's brows gave a little twitch. "New York huh?"

XXX

Jon and Trip placed their own items into the trunk, adding to the Tucker time capsule, before sending it back to his parents.

They placed in a copy of their wedding picture, along with a note of their names, date they were married and coordinates where the marriage took place. They also placed a group photo of the senior staff, along with their names, ranks and positions.

Trip had placed in a harmonic caliper to show that he was an engineer, while Jon placed a copy of his pilot certificate, and each placed in an NX-01 arm patch to show they both served on Enterprise.

Trip looked at Jon. "We can always add more later...pictures of our children?"

Jon smiled at Trip, it was the first time in their marriage that the thought of children had been spoken out loud. "We will definitely add pictures of our children."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

A few days had passed since the time travel experience and Enterprise was in full swing of her retrofits. Trip was like a kid in a toy store going on excited about the engine's upgrades over the dinner table.

Jon just sat, smiling and nodding as Trip went on, only understanding half of what his husband was telling him. He most likely would have been able to keep up, but he was distracted and not paying too close attention to what Trip was saying.

After dinner, they cozied down onto the couch. Jon decided to tell Trip what he had discovered. "Trip...there's something I think I need tell you."

Trip saw the look on Jon's face and knew it was serious. "Ok...what's up?"

"I've done some research on Boggs' wife, Pauline. I found out what happened to her after she went to New York."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Well...it seems that a few years after getting to New York, she got a divorce from Wade on the grounds of abandonment and she remarried."

"Oh. That's nice. At least it ended well for her."

"Trip...you know my family is originally from New York."

"Yeah, so?"

"The man she married...Timothy. Timothy Archer. He's one of my ancestors."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah. Small universe huh?"

Trip narrowed his eyes at Jon. "Damn Boggs."

Jon looked at Trip. "Damn Tucker."

They both turned their heads and spat then started laughing. "What _are_ the odds? Don't tell my parents you got a Boggs in your family tree."

"Agreed."


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N:** _I haven't read any of the books regarding the Romulan war. This is solely my little fiction plucked from my little brain. This is the final section; plus epilogue. Thank you for reading, I hope it was enjoyable. Please comment what you think. Love it/hate it either way I appreciate your opinion. Thank you._

_**XXX**_

_He couldn't remember where he heard the saying, but it fit. "War isn't hell. War is war and hell is hell. Of the two...war is worse."_

**Chapter 40**

**Hail Suicide King**

"Borek! Hard to port!" He shouted to his helmsman as a hard hit rocked the ship and sparks flew. "Get us between those Rommie scumbags and that Vulcan ship!"

The ship lurched to port as the bridge crew held themselves for balance. Another hit made him spin around to his tactical officer. He didn't need to speak, his eyes said it all. "Shields holding at seventy-three percent. Go with high yield photons, Captain?" The tactical officer asked.

"You're damn skippy go. Blow their asses out of the water!"

He had a dark smirk as he watched the torpedo launch and hit the Romulan ship. The impact caused severe damage, but not total destruction. This would not do for the Captain. He saw the gaping hole left behind in the ship. "Borek. Rip her up!" He snarled.

His ship jumped into a high speed forward ram, hitting the Romulan ship where the hole was, tearing it apart. _One Rommie down...one to go_. As his ship exited the other side of it's dead prey, he ordered a full yield of phasers onto the second, as he kept himself between the Romulan and Vulcan ships. The skirmish lasted only minutes, but seemed an hour. The second Romulan ship lost its shielding and decided it was time to go, jumping into warp as the Captain huffed. "Coward Rommies. Going after a defenseless ship. _Puh!_ Sanchez, hail the Vulcans."

"Yes sir." A second later the image of a Vulcan appeared on the view screen.

The Captain held up his hand and gave the Vulcan salute. "Commander. It is agreeable that you are alive."

The Vulcan Commander returned the salute. "It is agreeable that you answered our distress call so quickly, Captain Tucker."

"Well...the Valhalla happened to be in the neighborhood. What seems to be the problem?"

"We had a warp core breach and had to eject it. The Romulans must have heard our distress signal and took advantage of the situation."

"_Pfft_. Bastards. Starbase twelve isn't too far from here. We can give you a tow in."

"That would be...helpful Captain." The Commander slightly inclined his head as a thank you.

"Sit back and enjoy the ride, Commander. Valhalla out."

It was only fortune that the Valhalla was in the area as she herself was heading for starbase twelve for repair. They had just taken a hell of a pounding on the front line, losing a portion of a couple of decks and a few crew that Trip didn't want to think about.

The Valhalla; NX-07 was pressed into service far too soon. About four years ago trouble started brewing. There was a skirmish that involved the Romulans and Klingons going after a human colony planet on the outskirts of the Untied Earth territory. This did not sit well with Starfleet.

A plan was made. Enterprise would be the spearhead to attack, taking out a nearby Romulan shipyard, flanked by the NX-03; Challenger and the, then unnamed NX-07. Starfleet learned of the bond between Trip and T'Pol, discovering their recently developed ability to speak telepathically, even over great distances. They decided to use this to their advantage, giving them both temporary promotions and command of the two ships.

The theory was, that if Challenger and NX-07 rode in with Enterprise, Trip and T'Pol could use their ability to communicate course changes and maneuvers without opening channels, which might be "overheard" by Romulans and that the changes could be made almost instantaneously. Needless to say the plan worked out very well and the mission was a success.

Trip offend wondered if that may have been the true catalyst that started this damned war. The NX-07 was the most advanced ship in the fleet. Her top speed, a neck-breaking warp 6.8...even though she was only registered for 6.0, Trip made some tweaks (shhh). She was equipped with Andorian high yield torpedoes, full phaser banks that could shoot in any direction rather than the forward and aft phase cannons, static shield generator...courtesy of Mr. Reed's experiments and Vulcan tractor beam technology. Yes...she was the shining jewel of the fleet and every Captain slobbered to get their hands on her, even Archer.

It was a huge blow when after the mission, dubbed _Operation Spearhead_ (_how original_, Trip thought sarcastically), Starfleet gave Trip a field promotion and handed him the proverbial keys to the ship. T'Pol on the other hand was sent back to Enterprise and her position as First Officer.

XXX

They had docked at starbase twelve and Trip gave one of the SEC commanders a rundown of what needed repaired. "I expect to be out of here and on my way back to the front by tomorrow." Trip grumbled at the Commander.

"But sir...the damages will take at least a week...and that's working around the clock."

"Well then work around two clocks...three if you have to. Do I need to grab a tool kit and show you how it's done? Do you know what ship that is? That is the _VALHALLA!_ I said tomorrow, Commander!"

"Y-yes sir. Tomorrow sir. I'll pull every last engineer...maybe the kitchen staff if I have to. You'll have your ship tomorrow, sir."

Trip had been in command of the NX-07 for three months before she got her name. Trip thought hard about it, scrapped a few dozen name ideas before setting his mind on Valhalla. The Valhalla and Captain Tucker had a reputation. Whenever she showed up...she brought death with her, the Captain pulling her reigns.

The SEC commander turned to Trip. "Shall I show you to guest quarters, sir?"

Trip blinked at him. "My quarters on Valhalla aren't damaged. I'll stay th-" suddenly his eyes got wide as he saw another ship pulling in to dock. "Is that Enterprise?"

The Commander looked out the window. "Yes sir. She's in worse shape than yours. She's probably going to be in for a month at least. Really...Starfleet should just consider mothballing her."

"What did you just say? _Nobody's_ gonna put Enterprise in mothballs! What airlock will they come through?"

"Airlock four sir. Take the lift up to deck three, turn right and follow the blue line."

"Yep. Get my ship together Commander. See you later."


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Captain Archer was the last to disembark. As he walked past a side hallway, he was suddenly attacked, jumped on from behind. In a quick move, he flipped his assailant over his shoulder, slamming him to the floor. He was in position to strike a blow at the SOB's throat when he looked down. "Trip! What the hell man? Don't ever jump me like that!"

Trip laid flat on his back laughing. "Good to see you too, husband. Damn you slammed me a good one!"

"Obviously not good enough, you still got that nasty fur on your face." Jon reached a hand down to hoist Trip off the floor. The "fur" he referred to was the circle goatee style beard that Trip had grown a little over two years ago. He kept it trimmed short that made him look like he was always sporting a five-day stubble.

"Aw. But you know you love it, baby." Trip teased.

"Yeah...l love it like I love kissing a porcupine. I saw the Valhalla when we came in. Looks like you got into it again. What happened?"

"Ah! Just some stupid shit. Klingons ripped a good chunk out of her. Shouldn't have done that. Say bye-bye to three _Birds of Prey_."

Jon chuckled. "Suicide King strikes again huh? So...you think I can get a look at her this time?"

"You can get a look at my quarters." Trip wagged his brows. "We're just here for a quick patch-up then back out tomorrow."

"Come on Trip. I've only stepped foot on her twice and never did get the tour."

"She pretty much looks like Enterprise on the inside...what's really to show?"

"How about that warp engine you modified?"

"How the hell did you know about that? No one outside of Valhalla knows about that."

Jon turned up one corner of his mouth. "I'm your husband. I know the first thing you did on that ship was get grease under your nails and pushed out as much power as you could on that engine."

"Yeah, well...just keep it to yourself. As far as the Rommies and ridge heads are concerned, she only gets 6.0. Besides, can't give you a tour of engineering this time...she took some damage and it's off limits to anyone not on the repair crew. I could give you a tour of the mess though...come on."

"Mess? What's so special about a mess hall?"

XXX

The doors to the mess opened and Jon got an eye and ear full, standard protocol was definitely lax here. Trip's crew was a ragtag looking rowdy bunch, talking and laughing loud. In one corner a couple of men were play wrestling while at another table a group was having a loud poker game going. Loud music was coming through the speakers while a few of the women were putting on a tabletop dance show, much to the enjoyment of those watching. It was certainly a hell of a wild party going on in there. On one of the walls hung a large tapestry that depicted a fan pattern of four playing cards, all kings with the Suicide King prominently displayed on top.

Trip was dubbed the nickname after a daring move that involved the Valhalla taking on two Klingon ships and four Romulan ships single-handed, saving two Vulcan ships and an Andorian ship. Trip didn't know it at the time, but the Vulcan and Andorian ships were carrying important dignitaries who were en route to a conference when they were attacked. Prior to that incident, Valhalla had pulled more than one risky stunt that made people, even Jon, question if the crew of the Valhalla were trying to kill themselves or just nuts. Either way, once Trip was dubbed "Suicide King" he owned it. Even his ship's arm patch design was changed to sport the card fan of kings, with the king of hearts on top.

A beer bottle came flying through the air that Trip caught in one hand inches from Jon's face. He tipped it up and chugged it down in three gulps while his crew hollered out in unison. "Hail Suicide King!" He slammed the empty bottle down on the table next to him and let out a loud drawn out burp. "Yep! Damn right!"

Jon looked at him like he was looking at a stranger with two heads. Trip had turned crude, undisciplined, and downright disgusting. He hoped that it was just the effect of war, and when this war was over, he'd have his sweet, gentlemanly husband back. "Trip? You're nuts."

"Didn't we establish that years ago? Wanna beer?"

"Uh...no. I think I've seen enough."

Trip shrugged a shoulder. "Alright then." He looked up and called out. "Hey Borek! You ugly ass Tellarite warthog! Hit me!" Another bottle of beer whizzed towards Trip that he caught.

He and Jon turned to leave when they heard Borek call out. "Hey Captain! Who's that old, scrawny guy you got with you? We taking on refugees to feed them now?"

It was true, Jon had aged some, and the war had aged him even more. Trip had noticed that Jon lost weight and looked like he hadn't been sleeping very well, but didn't say anything about it, even though it did worry him.

One of the other crew jumped up. "Show some respect you asshole! That is Captain Jonathan Archer! If it wasn't for him...your stupid ass wouldn't be on this ship right now!"

"Humph. That can't be Archer. I heard Archer is too short and fat to fit in a Starfleet uniform."

The other crewman started to say something to Borek but Jon put his hand up. "That's ok...it's not his fault his nose looks like a pig's snout and he has a brain to match...not to mention his smell."

This earned Jon a round of belly laughs and table pounding as Borek sniffled trying to think of a good comeback. "Yeah? Well...with a face like that, I bet you haven't been laid in about a year."

"Actually...it's been over a year...damn war keeps me away, but with a face like yours, I bet you haven't been laid...ever!"

More table pounding and whooping. Borek widened his eyes then snorted into a laugh. "You know your Tellarites, Archer!" And he winged a bottle of beer to Jon.

After Trip and Jon left the mess, Borek looked at the crewman. "What the hell is flea-bag Archer doing here anyway?"

"Borek you dimwit! Don't you know anything? That's Captain Tucker's husband."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

They laid in bed glistening with sweat. Their first go around was fast, hard pounding and over much too soon for both of their liking. But hey...they haven't been in the same room, let alone the same sector for over a year so what do you expect? Now was the time to slow down and enjoy the presence of each other.

Trip ran the tip of his finger over some of Jon's scars, the deep one across his right eye and down the side of his cheek that almost blinded him, the one on his shoulder blade that a Klingon put a dagger through, the plasma burn on his stomach, pinpoint ones here and there where he'd been phaser shot, and several more scars from the many injuries of war.

Jon had begun refusing dermal regeneration treatments for his injuries a few years ago, allowing the scars of war to show on his body. Trip never asked him why, he wondered if it was some sort of penance for their time in the Expanse. They were all naive enough to believe that would be the only time they would ever get a taste of war.

He traced a new scar on Jon's mid-thigh that ran down to the top of his knee. "What's this one from?"

"Caught some shrapnel about six months ago. We were escorting a medical transport to Kataria when some Rommies jumped us."

"Kataria? That's kind of far from the front. What the hell were Rommies doing way out there?"

"Well...let's just say the supplies the medical transport was carrying..." Jon gave a long drawn out sniff through his nose. "...Was very valuable in certain circles."

Trip grinned. "Did you partake?"

"Eh? I may or may not have snuck a little sample."

"And this one?" He kissed a scar on Jon's shoulder that looked like it was one time a deep gash.

"Got shot."

"What!? You got shot again!?"

"Relax...it was just a graze, besides...how many times have you been shot?"

"I'm on the front. Last I heard the Enterprise wasn't. How the hell did you get yourself shot?"

"Malcolm did it."

"Say what?"

"Oh...you know him and weapons. He got a hold of some antique gun. I think he said it was a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber. Anyways, he was checking it out and the damn thing went off. Hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Remind me to kick his ass next time I see him."

"Yeah...trust me...he's hiding from you. Why do you think you didn't see him at the air lock? When we saw Valhalla, he decided he needed to stay on Enterprise and write some reports."

"So why is Enterprise in for repairs? The SEC said you got hit pretty bad. Might be a month before your back out there. And how did you get clobbered so hard anyways? Enterprise was pulled off the front almost a year ago...I thought."

"Yeah...we did. We ran into a Klingon Bird of Prey a couple days ago. She only hit us three times, but the damage was bad...real bad."

"What is Kelby and Hess doing to my ship? They ain't taking very good care of her. She should've been able to take on one Klingon ship without even breaking a nail."

Jon chuckled. "Still have that fantasy about Enterprise being a woman huh? Oh Trip, she's old and getting tired. Kelby and Hess are taking very good care of her, but let's face it, she's out of date and just can't keep up with the weapons the others have anymore. I think it's time to put her to bed."

"Hell no!" Trip bolted up in the bed looking at Jon like he just lost his mind. "You don't just throw out a good ship like Enterprise just because she's got a few miles on her."

"Trip...we all knew this day would come. I'm not supposed to say anything but...the truth is, we're just here long enough to get Enterprise fixed up to look good for when she goes home. She's being retired Trip. Starfleet wants her to look pretty for the pictures of her homecoming."

"What about you? Hoshi? Mal? T'Pol? All of you?"

"Everyone will be reassigned. You know how the game goes. Hell, you got your promotion and ship, now it's time for the rest of the birds to fly the nest."

"And you? Are they giving you another ship?"

"No Trip, they're not. Look...keep this to yourself, it's not official yet, but I'm being promoted...Admiral. I'll be riding a desk from here on out."

"Well...at least I won't have to worry about Malcolm shooting you again."

"I'm thinking about having Malcolm as my body guard." Jon gave Trip a grin.

"Oh brother!" Trip rolled his eyes then gave Jon a look. "You know...you're not Admiral yet...and you are on my ship..."

"Yeah?"

"Come here and do me again. That's an order."

A fire flashed in Jon's eyes as he grinned. "Aye, aye Captain."

Jon rolled Trip to his stomach. He looked down at the tattoo that was placed by a mischievous Admiral during his bachelor party and ran a loving hand over the image of his beloved Enterprise. As long as he had Trip, he'll always have Enterprise.

XXX

The second go was slow, sweet, and gentle. They were both completely satisfied as they laid holding each other. They talked about so much, neither wishing to sleep so they could spend every second of the short time available with one another.

Jon smirked at Trip. "I heard a rumor."

"Oh? Is it juicy?"

"Very much so. It seems that the Suicide King paid a visit to a brothel and took on three Orion females."

Trip let out a loud laugh. "_Me_? In an Orion whorehouse! Jon...tell me you know better."

"Of course I do. I'm sure it was some jag using your persona to get attention. Besides, you were near Praxis at the time."

"How would you know where I was?"

"I'm your husband, Trip. I keep tabs on you. Also heard Suicide King tore up a bar on Risa. Wonder if it was the same guy from the whorehouse."

"Uh...no...Risa was me. That happened."

Jon quickly sat up. "Oh shit Trip! Do you know Risain police are looking for you? And why the hell did you tear up a bar?"

"First off...those four...no, wait..._five_ guys had it coming. You don't paw my chief engineer and think its ok...no matter how smoking hot she is. Second, who gives a shit in the rain about Risain police? Give it a couple years and it'll blow over."

Jon shook his head laughing. They laid in silence for a moment when Trip quietly said. "I'm sorry I missed our anniversary."

"You were on the front, it couldn't be helped. Besides...you didn't miss it. We had dinner together over a comm call. Remember?"

"Yeah. I remember. Not the same though."

"This war will be over and things will get back to normal. Just don't get yourself killed before then...Suicide King. Let's see...how long has it been?"

"Seven years." Trip heard Jon swallow hard when he reminded Jon they had been married seven years. "I know what you're thinking, Jon. It's ok, I'm more in control of myself this time...for the moment."

"Will you be...?"

"Yeah. I can feel it coming. It'll be soon."

"How soon?"

"Few weeks...month maybe. I already started the null injections a couple months ago. My CMO thinks I'm screwing one of the women on the ship. I'm not sure if I should tell him or not."

"You probably should. He should know what to expect when you start acting...well...more nuts than you already are. He should be prepared to sedate you if necessary. You should tell your security chief too. He might have to lock you in the brig if you become too violent."

"The brig? I can lock myself in my quarters if it comes down to that."

"The brig would be better. Last time, you did try to escape our quarters three times you know."

"I did? I don't remember that. Why was I trying to escape?"

"No one really knows why. We think that maybe, somewhere deep down, you were trying to find me. Maybe...maybe you wanted to be with me rather than T'Pol, but the blood fever was too strong, calling you to her."

Trip thought for a moment. He had no memory of his attempted escapes or memory of his thoughts during that time. The only memory he had were bits and pieces of what he did to T'Pol...what he did with her. The memories he had were frightening. He was more animal than human. "Is that why you forgave me so quickly?"

"Part of the reason, not so quickly though. I did a lot of thinking and struggled with my decision. Mostly though, I understand that you wasn't in control of yourself during that time, and that this Pon Farr is a part of the bond between you and T'Pol, a part you didn't know about until it happened. By that time, we were already married and...well what can I say? I'm hopelessly in love with you. In the end, it's something I'm just willing to accept as being part of being your husband. How are you going to get off the front to T'Pol anyways?"

"I already have it worked out. I have a high ranking friend in the SEC that will be pulling Valhalla and Enterprise in for an emergency overhaul. All I have to do is tell him when. But I guess now that Enterprise is being retired, I'll have to think of another way."

"And when were you going to tell me about this plan?"

"Umm...now?"


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

Four Romulan warships were baring down on them. They had nowhere to run and had taken a hell of a beating, more so than expected. _So this is how it ends._ Trip started thinking. _NO! Not like this. They won't get Suicide King without a hell of a fight!_ "Borek! Hard to port! Masson, ready torpedoes! Let's take out that lead ship. Get our little surprise on line."

Masson, his TAC officer smirked. "Yes sir!" He growled. "Shall we give them a good fuck?"

"Fuck 'em good, lieutenant." He growled. Something about that statement caused him to stir. He looked down and sure enough, he was becoming aroused. _What the fuck is wrong with you? You're getting a hard-on going into battle? You been on the front too long you sick fuck! Oh shit!_

_I don't have time for th-_

A hard hit and loud explosions on the bridge broke him out of his thoughts as he heard Masson hollering above the noise. "Shields down to fifteen percent!"

"What? Impossible! Activate our surprise!"

"I can't! That last hit took out the array!"

"_FUCK!" _Trip bellowed as he felt a hard bump and the ship lurched.

"They got tractors on us!" Borek called.

"Pull hard to starboard. Shake us lose!"

Borek made adjustments to the navigation station. Starboard, port, forward, back...anything he could think of to break Valhalla away from the tractor...nothing worked. They were at the mercy of the Romulan bastards.

"We're being boarded!" Masson hollered.

_Rommie scum pawing my Valhalla! NO!_ Trip jumped up from his captain's chair and bolted towards the lift. "Sir! Where are you going?" Masson surprised by this action.

"Engineering!" Trip snapped out as the lift doors closed behind him. On his way to engineering, Trip ran into three Romulans. Much to their surprise he let out a primal roar and put a well-placed kick to the groin of one of them, dirty pool for sure, but what the hell? The Romulan cupped his hands at himself, groaning as he went down like a wet rag. The other two quickly jumped Trip as he swung, kicked and bit at them. He felt a hard blow to his head and all went black.

He opened his eyes. Still dazed by the hit. He tried to move but quickly found he was unable to. His unfocused vision looked around and was able to surmise enough that he was no longer on board his precious. His vision was beginning to clear.

"Ah. Finally you're awake. I was starting to think you would sleep through the rest of the war." A female Romulan smirked at him.

He glared at her before taking in the full view of the room. He was in a chair, restrained at his wrists and ankles. The ornaments on the walls told him he was on a Romulan...ship? On Romulas itself? Then he spotted it and his blood boiled. The tapestry that once hung in his mess hall. "That's _mine!_" He snapped at her.

"Oh...but it looks so lovely here...don't you think?"

"Where the hell am I? What do you want?"

"You're on board the Tomal, as our... prestigious guest, Suicide King."

That at least told Trip they were on a ship. "Well ain't that just grand. And I'm sure there's a lovely reward in it for bringing me in alive?"

"The only thing the emperor cares about is your head...preferably on a platter. _I _on the other hand, have use for you at the moment. How do you operate it?"

"Operate what?"

"Don't play the fool with me Captain Tucker." She gave him a hard backhanded blow across the face. "How do you operate it?" She spat the words out at him.

He tasted the blood coming from his mouth. He couldn't explain why but it amused him and a dark chuckle escaped his lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Another hit to the face. This one causing a searing pain to his eye.

She spent the next...what? Few minutes? Few hours? Questioning him as he revealed nothing. Blow after agonizing blow he would not bend. She pulled something that looked like a long stick and touched it to his side. A hard pound to his ribs and what felt like fire washed through his body before the darkness took him again.

XXX

Starbase twelve word spread quickly. Valhalla had fallen. Suicide King captured. Jon quickly contacted his crew. Shore leave over.

"Sir. Repairs to Enterprise aren't complete. You can't possibly take her out there like that." The SEC Commander argued with Archer.

"Is she space worthy?" He snapped back.

"Yes sir, but-"

"That's all I need to know. My engineering staff can handle the necessary repairs on the way."

"There's too much that needs to be done for the staff of your size. It would take too long."

"I'm going out there. I'm getting him back! Do you understand me?"

"But Starfleet Command-"

"_Fuck Starfleet Command!_ I could give a rat's ass what the damn pictures look like. We're going and that's final!"

The Commander could see there was nothing he could say to change Jon's mind. "Let me at least send a team with you to help in the repairs."

Jon was a little taken back by the offer. "That would be nice of you. Thank you Commander."

XXX

Trip once again woke. How long had he been here? Days? Weeks? He could smell the stench of blood, sweat, and other unpleasant body odors. He wondered why the room smelled so bad then realized the smell was him.

She never relented in her interrogation. "How does it _WORK_?" Another blow to his body. He felt a stirring in his groin. _Aw come on! Not now!_

She looked down at him and her eyes became wide. "This..._excites_ you? You _enjoy_ this?"

"What can I say? I like it rough." Trip gave her a leering look and without reason his groin reacted and he became harder. _Does she know? Can she somehow sense it? Do Romulans have Pon Farr like Vulcans? They are pretty much cousins after all. Maybe I can somehow use this?_ "Why don't you untie me and I can show you how much I enjoy this." He licked his lips and looked at her seductively...well sort of, with his swollen eye and battered face, it was difficult to tell if he was being seductive.

She moved behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Now Captain, releasing you from your restraints would be unwise, wouldn't it?" She leaned down, her lips brushed against his ear as her hand slid down to grasp his hardness. "Do you really think I'm that foolish?"

"Rommie bitch!" Trip quickly turned his head and bit down hard on the side of her cheek. He tasted the blood in his mouth that somehow exhilarated him. His jaw clamped down harder as she screamed, pulling herself back from him.

She shot a hand to the side of her face as the blood flowed. A hard hit to Trip toppled the chair. She didn't see it, but a piece of the left armrest broke off, leaving a sharp metal scrap that Trip quickly grasped in his clenched hand.

She pulled the chair back up, hauling Trip with it. He jerked hard and the rest of the chair's arm broke off. In a quick move, he jabbed the metal scrap into the side of her neck and a dark look came across his face as the blood squirted from her. He made a move with his hand that pulled the metal across her throat, leaving a deep gash. She held her hands to her neck as the blood gushed out. He herd the gurgling noises coming from her as she looked at him with wide, stunned eyes. _Only a few seconds then you'll be just another notch on my belt_. Trip thought to himself as he worked to free his other hand and ankles.

Once freed, he looked down at his dead Romulan captor laying at his feet. _Pity. She was kind of sexy...for a Rommie._ He stood up and stumbled towards a rack that was on one side of the room where it held the instruments of the torture he had endured the past few...however long it had been.

He stopped and felt the uncomfortable pain between his legs. He didn't have time for this, but needed instant relief if he was going to be able to function. He shoved his hand down his pants, freeing his hardness from its confinement and stroked until the pressure was relieved in a thick, warm splash. _Damnit Trip, you really are a sick puppy!_ He put himself back together as he grabbed some of the weapons from the rack and readied himself to get off this ship.

Before he left the room, he looked up and pulled down the tapestry from the wall. He carefully folded it up and tucked it behind him under his shirt. _Gonna have to clean the smell of Rommie scum out of it. Fuck you. Suicide King LIVES!_


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Trip cautiously entered the corridor, pleased that there wasn't anyone around. He crept down the hall thinking of his plan. First he would make his way to engineering and disable the ship. Then he would somehow get a message to Starfleet to send the calvary. Then he would find his beloved Valhalla...that is_ if_ he survived long enough to get to engineering.

He decided the best way to go undetected was to use the vent shafts. As he crawled along the narrow shaft, trying to get his bearings he heard voices in the room below him. _Human voices_? He chanced a peak through the vent grating and smiled. As he popped the grate opened and stuck his head through, he was nose-to-nose with an ugly Tellarite.

"You smell like the inside of a skunk's ass." Borek delighted in the insult.

"Yeah...? Well I still smell better than you."

"How did you escape, Captain?" Sanchez inquired.

"Got a lucky break. How many of us are there?"

"They only got about a dozen of us that I know of. The rest made it to escape pods. I assume they made it back to Starfleet territory. Sir...they interrogated us. No one gave anything up though." Masson informed him.

"I know...she did the same to me. How long have we been here? I lost track."

"Three days sir. They killed MacKenzie."

"Damn. She was a hell of an engineer. Smoking hot too." He couldn't believe he let that last part slip out, but truth be told, if he wasn't married and if it wasn't for his bond with T'Pol...it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that she would be the cause of his sudden need for null injections. He tried not to dwell too long on his mourning. "Ok. Who's ready to get the hell out of here?"

As they crawled through the vent shaft, Trip told them of his plan. They decided that a group would take engineering and another group would take the bridge, hopefully catching the Romulans off guard enough to be an effective plan.

As they were about to split into their groups, a hit rocked the ship. Maybe they wouldn't need to contact Starfleet after all. Trip pulled some wiring at a nearby monitor junction. Leave it to Romulans to have monitoring systems even in the vent shafts. He assumed it was so that officers could secretly spy on the crew and know what they were up to and saying when they thought no one was around.

He accessed the bridge monitors and laughed at what he saw. A big Vulcan ship (if they wasn't the peace loving Vulcans, one could call it a warship), an Andorian warship that Trip recognized as General Shran's ship (he quickly tallied what he would owe Shran for this "favor"), and low and behold! Enterprise leading the charge! "That's my hubby!" Trip mused in delight.

More hits and Trip could feel the vibration of the ship as it started to lose power. The group all had the same idea at what seemed like the same time. _Fuck the plan...let's hurt some Rommies_.

The group dropped from the vent shaft into a hallway when they heard movement coming towards them. As the first unfortunate Romulan officer rounded the corner, Trip let out an animal-like growl and lunged at him. As more Romulans came around the corner, Trip's crew sprang into action.

Fists connected with bone, teeth gnashed at flesh, droplets of green and red blood splatted the walls, and sounds of groans and oofs filled the air. The subject of Trip's advances, got himself together enough to turn and run down the opposite hall, presumably to call for help. Trip wasn't done playing with his prey and chased after him.

After a few moments, Trip's crew heard a shot from a phase pistol as one of the Romulan officers slumped to the floor. Masson looked up and a wide grin split his face. The tides had turned favorably.

Jon and Malcolm let off more shots, dropping the rest of the Romulan group. He looked curiously at Masson. "Where's Trip?"

They heard a growl and yelling coming from further down the other hallway. Masson shoved a thumb over his shoulder as he smirked. "That way."

Once they caught up with Trip, Jon's jaw dropped. One Romulan, the one of Trip's previous focus, laid dead on the floor with what looked like a broken neck. Four other Romulans had Trip surrounded as he let off a high side kick to one of their faces before quickly swinging around and landed a hard straight-arm punch to the mouth of another.

Now, Jon had seen his husband in bar fights before and knew Trip could hold his own, but this was something entirely different. Trip grabbed at a third Romulan by the shoulders, hoisting him into the air and throwing him as hard as he could into a wall.

Malcolm and Jon looked at each other and shrugged. They let off shots, stunning the Romulans to ensure that they wouldn't get back up. Trip slowly stood up, he turned and looked at the group with a wild look in his eyes that would make even a Klingon tremble. He was sweating, breathing hard and thick slobber trickling from his mouth as his jaw worked.

Borek stepped forward. "Not bad for a-"

He didn't get a chance to lay his insult on Trip when Jon called out. "Borek! Stay away from him! Don't touch him!"

Borek scoffed. "Are you a little Sorrian field mouse afraid of your own husband?" Before Jon could react, Borek clapped his hand on Trip's shoulder.

Before anyone knew it, Trip had Borek flat on his back, straddling him with his hands around Borek's throat as he struggled to breathe. It took Jon, Malcolm, Masson and two other crew members to pull Trip off of Borek.

Trip let out a roar as everyone jumped back. Jon put his hands out in front of him and tried to stay calm as he spoke. "Trip. It's me. It's Jon. Breathe honey, get control of yourself. Just breathe."

Trip growled something unintelligible and lunged towards Jon. Jon jerked back in time to miss getting hit with Trip's fist. "Sorry sweetheart." Jon said as he caught Trip off balance and delt a hard right hook to his face, knocking him out cold. Jon ordered Masson and Borek to help him and Malcolm carry Trip, which they reluctantly complied.

As they reached the airlock where Enterprise had docked, they met up with Shran and some of his crew who had been keeping the Romulans busy while Jon and Malcolm mounted their rescue. Shran looked at the unconscious Trip. "What happened to him?"

"Had to knock him out. Don't ask."

"You knocked out your own husband? Pink skin!" Shran sounded disappointed in Jon for such an act, but then again, he wasn't there and really didn't know what had transpired.

As they carried Trip towards sickbay, and Enterprise was underway, Trip started to come to. Masson and Borek quickly dropped Trip, backing away, leaving Jon and Malcolm with the writhing bundle.

"What's wrong with him? Did they drug him?" Masson asked.

Jon didn't know what to say, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Most likely." He sat Trip onto the floor. "Trip...breathe. Get control. Breathe."

Trip closed his eyes and took a moment. He opened his eyes and touched the spot on his jaw where Jon had hit him. "What the hell did you hit me with?"

"My fist."

"Damn. Guess you owed me that one...and more. Oh shit! Jon...I didn't...did I?"

"Not this time darling. Let's get you to sickbay."

"No. I'm fine now. I need to get cleaned up and find Valhalla." Trip got up and headed to Jon's quarters. Even though it was still technically _their_ quarters, Trip hadn't shared it with Jon since the war started and now it felt more like Jon's than theirs.

XXX

Trip came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. It felt good to be clean again. "Did my people make it back to Starfleet territory?"

"Yes. All of them except you and the others we rescued. I talked to Masson while you were in the shower. He told me about MacKenzie, I'm sorry Trip. I know how hard it is to lose someone under your command."

"Yeah...MacKenzie was a good officer. Smo-" He snapped his mouth shut and gave a wide eyed look at Jon.

Jon's brows shot up. "Ah! She's the one you got into it about on Risa."

Trip's cheeks blushed as Jon laughed. "It's ok to look, Trip. Just as long as you don't touch. You haven't? Have you?"

"_NO!_ Of course not! Jon, I wouldn't do that to you! In fact if it wasn't for this damned...thing with T'Pol..."

"Ok Trip. I know you wouldn't. Speaking of T'Pol...I have set up guest quarters for the two of you. It's obvious that this Pon Farr is getting closer by the minute. Maybe you should..."

"No. I don't have time for that now, I have to find Valhalla."

"Valhalla can wait a few days while you take care of things."

"No it can't! We can't let the Klingons and Romulans disassemble the-" Trip cut himself short before divulging any information.

Jon crinkled his brows. "Disassemble what?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. We have to find Valhalla."

"Trip. What's going on? What's so special about Valhalla that has you so worked up?"

"I can't talk about it. It's classified."

"I have the same clearance classification as you do Trip. Spill."

"You don't have clearance for this. That's why I could never give you a tour of the ship. That's why engineering is off limits. I'll be put in front of a firing squad if I tell you."

"Look Trip, if I'm going to help you get Valhalla back, I need to know what's going on."

Trip let out a long sigh. "I guess you'll be Admiral soon and will find out then. Just keep your mouth shut, and I didn't tell you this. Valhalla is the prototype for cloaking technology that Starfleet is experimenting with."

Jon looked at him cold. "I already know Starfleet has been experimenting with cloak technology. I just didn't know they put it on a ship. That explains a lot."

"What do you mean explains a lot?"

"There's rumors Valhalla just appears out of nowhere in the middle of a dog fight. I had a good idea that you modified the warp core and just chalked it up to the fact that the ship can move faster than what people expect, but finding out you have a cloak... What's the big deal anyways? Romulans and Klingons have cloaking technology."

"It's more than that, Jon. The Valhalla can raise shields and fire when cloaked. She also has a variable magnetic field that masks our warp signature so she can't be detected. They even say she can move through solid objects when cloaked, but I'm too chicken shit to try it."

Jon's eyes got wide. "Oh shit. We have to find Valhalla..._fast._"


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Jon sent out a call to the bridge to get any information they could on the whereabouts of Valhalla. An Andorian ship reported that they believe they saw Valhalla being towed towards Klingon territory, but could only confirm that it was an NX ship and the Andorian ship was too badly damaged and out gunned to peruse. It was the only lead they had, so they took it.

Jon turned to Trip, studying the injuries on his toweled husband and scowled. "Is it ok if I touch you?"

"I wish you would. I'm pretty sure I'm in control of myself."

Jon reached out and tentatively touched the bruises. He pulled Trip in, kissing the side of his neck. The towel dropped, Jon's shirt and pants quickly followed. Trip grinned as he discovered Jon had went full commando. "No undies? For me?" He asked as he reached down and grasped hold of Jon's raising member.

Jon shrugged a shoulder. "Actually, this war is screwing up everything. My underwear got lost somewhere in the laundry a couple days ago."

Trip let out a loud laugh. "Something like that could only happen to you. Think I'll wash my undies in the sink while I'm here though." He gave Jon a deep kiss. As the seconds went on, the kiss turned more passionate, then lustful, then demanding. Jon heard a growl come from somewhere deep inside of Trip. Had he made a mistake initiating sexual contact when Trip was in the throws of controlling Pon Farr? Of course he had, how could he have been so foolish?

Before he could think any further on the subject, Trip spun him around, a hand on his stomach pinning Jon against him. He could feel Trip's hardness against him as nails bit into the flesh of his stomach. He heard another growl then teeth sinking into his shoulder. He let out a painful whimper too soft to be heard as he looked into Trip's eyes through the mirror that hung on the wall.

Jon had been rock climbing in the mountains long enough to know the look of a wild animal that's about to make a kill when he saw it. What he saw in Trip's eyes in that moment, was the same look.

He had learned from the last Pon Farr. Trip had always been the impulsive, brute force, "never back down from a fight" type, but during Pon Farr, his aggressiveness, strength and reflexes were heightened. Jon learned very quickly, the hard way, not to fight back.

He tried to relax, show no fear. Trip pushed him forward, bending him over the small dining table. Whatever was about to happen, he would just let it happen. Another growl and Trip's teeth sank deeper as his hardness teased at him. _What had caused that?_ Jon wondered to himself. _Oh._

As they kissed, Trip could taste the sweetness of Jon's mouth. This thrilled him and he wanted more. His control between passion, love and lust was slipping. He spun Jon around. In Pon Farr his senses were heightened. He could feel every pore of Jon's rough skin under his fingers, hear the shallow quickening of his breath. The blood rushed in Trip's body downward, engorging his penis. He felt the snap of flesh as his teeth sank in. Tasted the deep iron of blood in his mouth. Seeing the red trails dripping down from Jon's shoulder as he heard a soft whimper that enticed him as he pushed Jon forward over the table. His nostrils flared and took in Jon's scent. Past the cleanliness of soap and aftershave he could smell...blood...fear...and...and..._arousal_! Another deep growl as he rubbed himself against Jon, teasing with the promise of entry, his teeth sank deeper.

All of this was driving him to madness, his mind was becoming crazed and he wanted more and more. _Kill! Must kill...must mate! Will take what's mine! Mate...kill...fight...mate...mate! Must...must... NO...! Something...more. More...important! Mate! Must...mate! Take...take what's mine! No! More...important! VALHALLA! Must...find...my Valhalla!_

In a roar he shoved himself away, his teeth ripping at the flesh in the process. He breathed, working to regain his control. _Valhalla! Must find...Valhalla? Mate? Valhalla!_ "J-Jon. I-I can't stay...here. I'm-I'm afraid I'll lose control. I'm afraid...I'll hurt you." He looked at Jon's shoulder and licked his lips. _Blood...must have...blood. Must...NO!_

Jon started to reach for Trip. "Honey..."

Trip jerked back to avoid the touch. "No! Don't touch! Losing control. Valhalla! Find Valhalla!"

"Ok. I will. I promise, but right now...you have a bigger problem than Valhalla. You need to-"

"NO! I don't have time for this!"

Trip stumbled against the table. He needed instant relief. Nothing Jon could say or do would help. All he could do was stand and watch. Trip grabbed at the closest thing that would contain the ejaculate. _Say goodbye to that shirt_. Jon thought.

XXX

Two days had passed. Trip locked himself in the guest quarters that Jon had prepared. Fortunately, learning from the last Pon Farr experience, Jon had the room cleared so there wasn't too many things that he could break. He also had the room fitted with soundproofing so that, other than the occasional soft thumps, other crew members weren't disturbed by noises. At last they had found confirmation of Valhalla.

Jon rang the door chime to the guest quarters. Through the intercom Trip's voice snapped. "_What_?"

"We found Valhalla. She's in Klingon space within an asteroid field. Fortunately, the asteroid field is near the border of UE territory."

The door slid open. Trip looked as if he hadn't slept since he went into the guest quarters. His hair was a mess and clothes rumpled. The little bit of what could be broken in the room had been broken. "Let's go get her." He grinded out.

Jon stepped in front of Trip, careful not to touch him. "You can't go on the bridge in this condition."

"I'm fine."

_Where have I heard that before?_ Jon thought to himself. "No you're not. Trip, we'll handle this. Besides...T'Pol will be on the bridge. I can't have the two of you in the same room when you're like..._this_."

"I said I'm fine! I'm getting my ship back!" Trip yelled at Jon. He took a step forward.

Jon quickly reached into his pocket and produced a hypospray. "Don't make me use this."

Trip looked at the instrument and let out a laugh. "You won't have to, I've been doing some deep meditation techniques that T'Pol showed me. Jon, really...the only thing on my mind right now is my ship. I really am fine."

"Uh..." Jon looked past Trip and gestured into the room.

"That's nothing. I just want to get my Valhalla, then...I'll deal with this other issue. But Valhalla comes first."

Against his better judgement, Jon was beginning to agree to allow Trip onto the bridge. He made a point to show Trip the hypospray again. "I'm keeping this with me. I'll use it if you don't control yourself."

"That will be fine. I understand. So what's the plan?"

"Shran has agreed to help us. He said to tell you that makes him even with you."

"Even with him? I thought I'd owe him for saving my sorry ass from that Rommie ship."

"Remember that Andorian ship with delegates you saved? Well...seems his sister was one of the delegates. As far as saving your sorry ass...that was my favor. Cost me a case of scotch."

"Shran has a sister? A delegate at that? Huh. Only one case? I didn't know I came so cheap." Trip sounded a little scorned by the small "payment" it took to rescue him from a Romulan warship.

"Not so cheap. 2112 scotch."

"Ouch." Somehow that made Trip feel a little better about the backyard deal.

XXX

Trip entered the bridge. His nostrils instantly flared. He could smell her. A low growl. A quick turn of his head in her direction. A look between the pair. _Mate...must mate! Mate! Mate...must...no...Valhalla! Valhalla first._ He closed his eyes and regained some of his control. "Where's my Valhalla!" The question? Demand? Spat from him like nails.

Reflexively, Jon tightened his grip on the hypospray hidden in his pocket. "We're heading there now. We need to slip past the Klingon line. We've found a point where there's a gap in the patrol. We'll slip through there, and then double back."

"Too long. We go straight in."

"You're not Captain here. We're going to do this my way."

"Your way is too long. We can run down those ridge heads throats, grab Valhalla and be back out by the time we do your plan."

"Trip...Enterprise can't take that kind of beating. It's my way. Period."

Trip's mouth opened to argue when Jon cut him off. "_Captain Tucker!_ Do I need to remind you of a few things about protocol and discipline? We stay as covert as possible. End. Of. Subject."

"Aye sir." Trip grunted out through clenched teeth.

The plan was that Enterprise would slip through the gap in the Klingon patrol. Once near the asteroid field, Shran would take his ship and make a ruckus to draw as many Klingons away as he could. This plan would take a little over an hour.

As the time went by, Jon noticed both Trip and T'Pol fighting to keep control of themselves. He worried that at any minute control would be lost and he'd have two super-hormonal officers to deal with in the middle of a risky operation. He mentally calculated the amount of sensitive in the hypospray and hoped it would be enough. Much to both of their credits, they were keeping control.

The asteroid field was coming into view. He watched as several Klingon ships abandoned their positions and darted off. Shran had done his job and that left two Birds of Prey to deal with...but where was Valhalla?

The remaining Klingon ships spotted Enterprise and maneuvered to engage. At some point during the time it took to reach their destination, Masson and Borek had joined the bridge crew. As Enterprise started to get hit, Jon called out orders of evasive maneuvers.

Enterprise was talking too many hits for Trip's liking, in reflex, he called out. "Helm! Maneuver gamma one!"

Travis looked at Trip and blinked. "I don't know that one, sir."

Jon spun on Trip. "There's only room for one Captain here. Be quite or go back to quarters!"

"Cap'n Archer. All due respect, I know these Klingons better than you. Let me take the comm." He added quietly. "Please Jon."

A hard hit to Enterprise shook Jon's thoughts. He stepped to the side waving a hand towards the chair. "Command is yours, Captain. Don't get her destroyed."

"Wouldn't dream of it...Cap'n. Borek! Take the helm! Masson, tactical!"

After Borek took the helm, he slammed Enterprise into gamma one, which took her into a flip and a side motion strafing maneuver. This confused the Klingons enough that it allowed Masson to get off a shot with a torpedo. When it didn't do as much damage as he expected, he looked at Malcolm. "What the fuck is that?"

Malcolm shrugged a shoulder. "Type four torpedo."

"Not photon? Oh shit this ship _is_ old!"

"Improvise Masson!" Trip shouted over his shoulder. "Borek! Bravo seven!"

As Enterprise started into a half flip spin Jon yelled out. "Trip! Starships aren't made to do this!"

"You'd be surprised what an NX can do, you just never had a real reason to test her limits. Borek! Hit it!"

On the upswing of Enterprise's arch, Borek jumped the ship into a split second low speed warp that put Enterprise nose down on top of one of the Klingon ships. Masson let off a full barrage of arsenal, disabling the Klingon's shield.

"Borek! Pull up! Full aft!"

"Captain?" He questioned Trip while caring out the order at the same time.

"Enterprise is still equipped with haul plating. No ramming."

Jon's eyebrows shot up. "Ramming? Oh Trip. Now I understand the Suicide King thing. You're not nuts...you're fucking_ insane_!"

Trip shrugged. "War will do that to a person."

As they made a sweep around a large asteroid with Klingon ships in pursuit, Trip spotted her. Nestled into a large hollowed-out asteroid was his beloved. Enterprise slipped sideways through a narrow passage of two asteroids, he felt a bump against the nacelles as they went in between. Jon shot him a look. "Want me to have that scratch painted?" Trip grinned.

"I'm still waiting for you to paint the last scratch you put on her." Jon shot back.

The unfortunate Klingon ship that lost its shields didn't quite make it through the passage and went up in a ball of fire. "One down...one to go." Trip called out.

They didn't get a chance to engage the second Klingon as two Tellarite ships converged on it and it was dust in a matter of seconds. Trip looked at Borek who shrugged. "What? So I called some friends. I know you don't have the spine to take on Klingons by yourself...especially in this heap of bolts that can't maneuver unless you get out and push."

Jon almost got mad at that statement, then reminded himself that it came from a Tellarite, which meant the statement was really a compliment of how well Enterprise handles. "She only moves as well as the one at the helm. Do you need a wheelchair to get you back to your quarters, old man?"

Borek let out a roar of a laugh. "What now Captain?"

"Now...we get our ship back. Did you see what I saw? Obviously those Birds of Prey were the guards. The only ships near Valhalla are maintenance. They won't want to tangle with us, but I'm sure they're gonna at least put up a hell of a show. I'm more worried about the personnel inside."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Trip was right. The maintenance ships didn't want to tangle with a Starfleet starship and two Tellarite ships. Shran reported back to Enterprise that Klingon reinforcement was on the way to them. Shran and Borek's friends would keep them busy as long as they could while Trip, Jon and a boarding party got onto Valhalla.

Once on the ship, Trip's worst fear was confirmed. It was crawling with Klingons and they were going to be in for one hell of a fight. As phaser and disruptor fires rang out, Trip and T'Pol took a different approach. Trip took the one on the left while T'Pol took the one on the right.

T'Pol let out a fierce roar as she gave a backhanded fist to the Klingon. The Klingon came back with a hard blow to her stomach. T'Pol ducked and weaved, dropping to one knee while giving a sweep with her other leg, knocking the Klingon off balance. She gave a hard kick to his kneecap and a loud _POP_ of bone becoming displaced made him crumble. She jumped on top of him, blow after blow to his face until he was rendered unconscious.

T'Pol stood up, looking for her next victim when Jon saw a dark look on her face that he had never seen before and was frightened by it.

By that time, Trip had disabled the first Klingon and he was working on a second. The Klingon pulled a dagger and slashed at Trip. He quickly jumped back, avoiding the blade. He grabbed hold of the Klingon's wrist, and with a twisting motion, the Klingon dropped the blade. Trip quickly grabbed at it, and thrust it into the Klingon's stomach. With a twist, he pulled it back out along with pieces of entrails. The Klingon slumped down as Trip grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head back, he smirked before running the blade across the Klingon's throat.

The rest of the team made quick work using phasers to stun the other Klingons in the area. They split off into groups to take engineering and the bridge as the rest fanned out to take out Klingons on the rest of the decks.

As the group of starbase twelve engineers that Trip, Jon and T'Pol were leading to engineering, they were delayed by more Klingons. One of them came rushing towards Trip with a stick. He'd be damned if he got touched with one of those again! Trip advanced on the Klingon in such a fast move that he missed his target with the stick, thrusting it past Trip.

As Trip grabbed at his arm, spinning him, T'Pol jumped on his back, biting and hitting. Trip wrestled the stick from his hand as T'Pol continued her assault. In a quick flash, Trip stabbed at the Klingon with the dagger he still carried while T'Pol simultaneously jerk at his head causing a loud snap sound. Jon wasn't sure which of the two made the actual kill, but he was glad for the teamwork.

The group continued their way to engineering, taking out as many Klingons as they could. Once in engineering, they were grateful to discover only four Klingons remained. They were quickly rendered unconscious.

There was a device attached to the warp core that Jon nor T'Pol had ever seen before. It was in pieces, wires and data cards pulled out and scattered on the floor. Trip and the other engineers quickly got to work to put it back together.

Jon was amazed at the starbase twelve engineers that they were working so quickly, as if they knew exactly what to do...then it clicked. He now realized why the commander sent this team with him. Not to help get Enterprise back together (although that was a bonus). It was because this team obviously had the knowledge and security clearance to work on the experimental cloaking device.

Trip looked over his shoulder. "T'Pol, Cap'n. You should go to the bridge."

T'Pol cocked an eyebrow at him. "I could assist you."

Jon knew of the secrecy and decided to not put Trip in the situation to have to explain anything or lie to her. "T'Pol, I think its best we get to the bridge. As soon as the core is back on line, I'm sure Trip will want to leave here like a bat out of hell. It will be up to us to make sure that happens."

As Jon led T'Pol out of engineering, he looked over his shoulder and gave Trip a wink. Trip mouthed the words _'thank you'_ to him.

As they made their way to the bridge, they came across a few Klingon stragglers here and there. Jon was a little pleased that T'Pol chose to forgo the hand to hand combat and used her phase pistol to stun them. He noticed the difference in her that she seemed calmer and didn't appear to be struggling with keeping her Pon Farr at bay. He wondered what had changed, but really didn't have the time to dwell on it.

It took Trip and the engineering team about ten minutes to get the cloaking device put back together and the warp core on line. It wasn't pretty, they worked fast and dirty, but it would do for now. Trip called up to the bridge. "We're ready to head out. Hit it as hard as you can."

Jon's voice came back to him. "Trip, we have bigger problems. Shran and Borek's friends are having a hard time keeping the Klingons busy. Looks like we're fighting our way out of this one."

"I'm on my way." Trip called out to the engineering staff. "Keep everything on line. Even if you have to use spit and chewing gum, just keep it on line!"

He got to the bridge and looked at the main view screen. "Oh...we're in for a world of hurt."

Directly ahead of them, three Klingon ships. Shran's ship was doing everything they could to keep Valhalla from being attacked. The two Tellarite ships had engaged a few more Klingons a short distance away and Enterprise was working on another.

Trip turned to Masson. "Get the surprise ready." He mentally crossed his fingers that the cloak would work. "Borek, take us out, as soon as we vanish, cut into beta five. Masson, target the lead ship that's giving Shran a beating."

Jon leaned towards Trip and quietly asked. "What's beta five?"

"You'll see. You're gonna love this one."

As Valhalla's engines fired up and she began her motion out of the asteroid housing, she simmered and was gone in her cloak. As soon as the nacelles were free from the confinement, Borek executed the maneuver, bringing Valhalla onto her back as she silently slipped under the belly of Shran's ship, firing on the target of choice.

Trip could only imagine the looks on the faces of the Klingons when it appeared that Shran's ship suddenly had a second set of phaser banks at their disposal. Trip ordered Masson to let off a couple of photon torpedoes, disabling the Klingon's shields.

Phase one of beta five complete, Trip called to have the cloak dropped. As Valhalla shimmered into full view, Borek pulled hard on the controls, bringing the ship out from under Shran's belly, arching to the side and above her all the while firing phasers and launching torpedoes, destroying the vessel.

Trip quickly noticed a second Klingon ship bearing down on them. "Borek! Bravo seven!" As Valhalla made the maneuver that Jon had witnessed on Enterprise, he was in awe at how graceful Valhalla moved and how quickly her weapons seemed to tear the Klingon shields to shreds.

As they made the nose dive, Jon waited. Trip didn't order Borek to pull up like before and his eyes became so wide, he was sure they completely covered his face. "Oh fuck!" Jon yelled out as he grabbed the Captain's chair for support of what was coming next.

Valhalla slammed nose first into the mid-section of the Klingon ship before erupting from the other side of the fireball.

Trip checked the sensors and saw that there were more Klingons on the way. Normally he'd have no problem staying to play, but with the cloak and warp core being only half slapped back together, he didn't want to risk it. "Sanchez, contact the other ships. Tell them it's time to get the hell out of here."

As soon as Sanchez sent the message out, all five ships jumped to warp and was gone in a blink.

XXX

They had all made it back to Starfleet territory. The Tellarite ships darted off in a different direction. Trip looked at Borek. "Where are they going in such a hurry? Not even a '_goodbye asshole_'?"

Borek chuckled. "They need to get back to their sector. Let's just say they weren't...exactly in this area."

Trip's brows shot up. "Oh. I see. Well, next time you talk to your friends, tell them I said they were a pest and in our way."

Borek snorted out a laugh. "I'm sure they are thinking the same."

Shran had contacted Valhalla. "Pink skin. I'm happy to see you alive and well."

"Thanks blue skin." Trip chuckled. It had become a joke between the two men to refer to the color of their skins, knowing that there was great admiration and respect for one another. "Let's see...I just saved your ass, so now you owe me. You heading to starbase twelve with us?" Trip cracked a wide grin.

Shran's antennae dropped as he frowned. He didn't like to be in debt to anyone, and Trip knew it. "No, I'm going back to Andoria, get my repairs there."

"Well...give my love to Jhamel. Hope to see you soon, blue skin."

"I'll tell her. When this damned war is over, you and Archer must come to Andoria. I know Jhamel will be pleased to see you both again."

Jon grinned. "We'll be happy to, just save a couple bottles of that 2112 for us to toast with."

That perked Shran's antennae back up. "Of course. And what a glorious toast that will be." He gave Trip a glare of warning. "Just keep your pink ass out of trouble."

"Now where's the fun in that?" Trip grinned.

Shran shook his head as he closed the channel before heading back to Andoria.

XXX

Starbase twelve. Jon and Trip stopped at the airlock, waiting as Enterprise was docking. Jon looked at Trip and crinkled his brows. "You know, there's a few things I'm still a little confused about. You and T'Pol were in the throws of controlling the Pon Farr, and now you're both are acting normal. I know for a fact you didn't...what happened?"

Trip shrugged. "It was all that hand to hand combat with the Klingons. The Pon Farr has been purged."

Jon looked at him in shock. "You mean this whole time...? All you have to do is fight some Klingons?"

Trip looked down and shook his head. "No. It's more than that. It was the act of killing that did it."

"But you killed some Romulas before then. Why was it the Klingons that did it?"

"The Romulans were before the Pon Farr had fully set in. When in the full thrash of Pon Farr, mate or kill. The only things that will purge it. Jon...that day in our quarters, when I bit you. I...wanted to mate with you...or kill you. I had to force myself to think about Valhalla, and even then, it was always in my mind...mate or kill."

Jon looked at Trip with sorrow and love in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around him, bringing him into a strong embrace. "Trip, I trust you. I know you love me too much to kill me, and even in the full thrash of Pon Farr, there would have been something inside of you that won't allow you to kill me."

Trip hugged tighter. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't ever want to test that theory though."

"And another thing, all this ramming ships shit. How the hell can Valhalla take that kind of punishment? And the way the weapons shred apart shields?"

"Well...I _may_ have done some modifications to the shields and weapons as well. Shh...don't tell anybody."

Jon crinkled his brows and cocked his head to the side. "Huh. Maybe you're not nuts after all."

"Oh. I'm nuts. I'm just not _that_ stupid."

"And Valhalla's...little surprise? How long have you known about that?"

Trip looked down, slightly ashamed that he held this secret from Jon for so long. "The whole time. Since the retrofits and upgrades to Enterprise back at Jupiter."

"So that's why you were promoted and given Valhalla ahead of any other Captain."

"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't tell you...but it was classified."

Jon chuckled and by the airlock as the Enterprise crew was disembarking, PDA rules be damned, Jon planted the most passionate kiss on his husband. As they kissed, Malcolm tried to slip past unnoticed.

Trip broke the kiss. "Malcolm! Hold on a minute."

Malcolm froze in his tracks and softly muttered. "Damnit." He turned towards Trip. "Yes, Captain?"

"I have a present for you." Trip rummaged through his bag and pulled out what looked like a stick. As he started to hand it to Malcolm, he made a quick move and pushed it into Malcolm's shoulder.

Malcolm stumbled back and went flat on his ass, groaning as he held his shoulder. Trip tossed the stick down towards him. "Sorry...it accidentally went off."

Still holding his shoulder, that he was pretty sure was dislocated, he grunted through the pain. "Accidents happen, Captain."

Jon let out a roar of a laugh as he led Trip away, arm in arm, from the writhing tactical officer. "How long is Valhalla in for?"

"Two weeks. I didn't argue about the time table this time."

"You know, I hear that the Admiral's guest quarters here are pretty luxurious." Jon wagged his eyebrows.

"But you're not _officially_ an Admiral yet."

"I'm sure one call to HQ will open the door for me. Think about it...we can hole up, room service, massages...it would be like a second honeymoon." Jon flashed him a big grin.

"Cap'n...I like the way you think."

**END.**

**XXX**

_**Epilogue**_

The war had been over long ago. Soon after it ended, it stayed in the back of Trip's mind that the next war could always be just around the corner. He had grown weary of war and took an early retirement from Starfleet.

Jon got most of his sweet, gentlemanly husband back, Trip still had a little crudeness to him, but Jon didn't really mind. Trip had shocked him one day after he got out of the shower, clean shaven... just when Jon was starting to get used to the beard.

He and Jon had bought a nice house in Blue Lake, located in northern California (not to be confused with Blue Lakes in Colorado). Soon after, they adopted a little boy, Jacob Archer-Tucker. Trip was happy staying home with Jacob, and from time to time, offered his services as a consultant for Starfleet. He had started counseling sessions once a week to help him cope with anxiety, PTSD, and bouts of depression. Being a consultant helped keep him busy and work through his issues.

Jon was officially promoted to Admiral at Enterprise's retirement ceremony and used his diplomatic skills to turn towards politics, which helped him to establish and become the first president of the _United Federation of Planets_. Trip got a little kick out of being called "first husband".

After the war, they paid a visit to Andoria during one of their ice festivals. Jhamel was so happy to see them and showed them all of the sights during their visit. As promised, Shran saved a couple bottles of the 2112. It was indeed a glorious toast.

Trip was getting close to yet another Pon Farr. They had built a small cottage on the property that Trip and T'Pol could use during that time. Jon had fun searching yard sales and flea markets, finding ugly knick-knacks to fill the cottage just so Trip and T'Pol would have lots of things to break.

They had thought long and hard about this, and decided that this upcoming Pon Farr, Trip would forgo his null injections, in the hopes that T'Pol would become pregnant. If she does, doctors would keep a close watch and give her medication to help carry the baby to term.

T'Pol understood the circumstance. Trip and Jon would be the child's parents, even though she wouldn't be denied her rights as the mother, nonetheless, she would be a surrogate.

T'Pol had been promoted to Captain and assigned a Vulcan and human collaborate science vessel.

Malcolm had been promoted to Commander and made First Officer, then eventually Captain. He and Hoshi got married and had two beautiful girls.

Hoshi left Starfleet, going back to her teaching job and raising the children in Japan, where Malcolm would visit his family every chance he got.

Phlox went back to Denobula to be with his beloved Feezal. He stayed active with the Inter-species Medical Exchange, while at the same time took a professorship on Denobula. His favorite topic of his courses was how to treat plasma burns on humans.

Travis' mother passed away peacefully in her sleep. His brother asked him to come back to the cargo ship and help run things. Travis agreed, but still longed for the exciting days of exploration and meeting new species.

Jon had decided to throw a reunion party, inviting all of his old crew and their families. Trip invited his crew from the Valhalla, as well as Shran and Jhamel.

They had built a bonfire in the backyard and was having fun drinking, singing and swapping stories, while Trip got boos and hisses for his awful harmonica playing. Borek had fun swapping insults over that one.

Jon got a little concerned when Trip dug out the old tapestry of the Suicide King. As Trip tossed it into the fire and watched it burn, he thought to himself. _Suicide King is dead. Hail the next unfortunate bastard._

Jon watched as the light of the fire danced across this man's beautiful face and began thinking of their time together. The galaxy they explored, the laughter, pain and tears they shared. This man, his best friend, his lover, his boyfriend, his husband, his soulmate, his heart.

He thought about how this man showed patience, giving him as much time as he needed to allow him to explore his true self, his true nature. He would love this man until the end and into the exploration that lies beyond.

**END**


End file.
